Nationally acclaimed singer/song writer Clarence Greenwood (AKA Citizen Cope) has agreed to let the Gandhi Brigade use the song “Together Again” as the sound track for a video we are submitting to Silver Docs.
PROPAGANDA! the story of seven teens who use graphic arts and video to change the way their community thinks about immigration was submitted for entry to this year’s Silver Docs, the international documentary film festival held in Silver Spring. Both director, Lisa Jaeggi, and lead talent, Tiffany Spencer, thought that the teen video needed a stronger soundtrack, so they approached Clarence Greenwood at a concert and asked to use his music. To everyone’s surprise, he agreed. Now it is up to the film judges at Silver Docs. Keep your fingers crossed.

Gandhi Brigade youth are organizing Silver Spring's first youth media festival. Kennedy senior, Maria Guererro, is the festival coordinator. She is working with youth coordinator, Hawa Touré, youth developer, Heather Bradley, and a steering committee composed off eight teens to offer young people a venue for their new media creativity.

The festival is accepting submission in three categories: video, photography, and graphic arts. Best of show awards will be offered for each category.

The festival will be held May 10th in City Place Mall. In addition to showing teen media the organizers want to use the festival as a springboard for a discussion of critical issues that face young people. The festival is open to youth ages 11 - 18.

A Submission Form can be downloaded online. Youth and adult volunteers are needed. For more information on how to get involved go to our website Express Yourself, or write [email protected]

On March 7th and 8th Gandhi Brigade youth, volunteers, and mission group members made an overnight retreat at the Rockwood Manor in Potomac. Retreat facilitator Amy Kinkaid, Tomiko Anders, and Jim Henkelman-Bahn lead Gandhi Brigade to wrestle with two strategic questions and one tactical question:

• What is the mission of the Gandhi Brigade?
• How do youth and adults share authentic leadership?
• How do we organize GB media training?

Despite non-stop rain (no volleyball, no hike to Great Falls, no bonfire) the intergenerational gathering of twenty core Gandhi Brigade members made great progress on all three questions, and thanks to Amy's creative approach, had great fun doing it. We affirmed the mission statement (Purpose); the teens were able to lead the adults in a bold vision of what shared leadership looks like ("We trust you, so just trust us.") And, at the young folks initiative, we embarked on a restructuring of the Saturday training. Big thanks to everyone who braved the weather to come out to the retreat, especially Amy, Tomiko, Jim , and Juanita.
No thanks to Richard for forgetting the sheets.

Graphic artist, Kathy Kiely, is teaching a poster design class in the newly renovated media lab in the Pyramid Atlantic. In the ten week class Kathy is teaching five teen artists and two adult artists how to use Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop to design a poster.

Each student chose a public service message and then developed the text and images that could best promote that idea. The completed posters will be displayed in May as part of Express Yourself, a youth media festival organized by Gandhi Brigade youth. This summer a new class will begin. Interested teens and young adults should contact [email protected]
to register.

In January Pyramid Atlantic’s new Executive Director, Jose Dominquez, offered the Gandhi Brigade space to set up a new media lab. Maryland Multicultural Youth Centers interns, Mo and Jojo set up eight donated G4 Mac computers in the cozy wood panel office on the second floor of the Pyramid Atlantic building on Georgia Ave.

The interns upgraded the machines, installed Illustrator and Photoshop, and created a shared network. The media lab is now a classroom for teaching graphic arts as well as the office for Express Yourself, the youth media festival being organized by Gandhi Brigade youth. We forward to arranging a variety of new media classes in the future. A big thanks to Jose and our friends at Pyramid Atlantic.

PROPAGANDA! was selected to screen in the

Takoma Park Film Festival on Sunday, November 18 at 2:30 PM. Following

the screening Gandhi Brigade youth will participate in a panel discussion

on community-building, activism, and media.



The Silver Spring Youth Collaborative will

have two of its recent film screened: "Teen Jobs" & "Silver

Spring Town" will be shown on Saturday, Nov 17 at 2PM. Following

the screening is a reception for youth producers.



The festival is held at the Takoma Park Community

Center, 7500 Maple Avenue inTakoma Park; it runs from Nov 15 - 18.

Presents:

PROPAGANDA!

"No human being is illegal."

Seven teens set out to change the way their community thinks about a
controversial subject with a video and a propaganda poster project.

Sunday, September 30

4 PM

Student Services Building

(2nd floor)

Montgomery College

Fenton St & New York Ave