Dear Friend,

You can help young people find their voice by becoming a sponsor of the Gandhi Brigade Youth Media Festival. Held on May 31st at the Silver Spring Civic Building the festival shows the best work and expression of young people from all over the Washington region.

Last year we attracted submissions from youth groups in Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and San Francisco. Young people ages 11-23 submit work in video, photography, graphic design, and performance to a juried competition. Winners in each media category and three age groups receive cash prizes.

This is a day long celebration of youth creativity. In addition to the juried competition there is a 4-hour PSA contest in which teams of four have four hours to plan and create a public service announcement on an issue that is given to them on the day. We hold hands-on workshops that focus on different media and aspects of social justice. The event ends with live performances by youth artists on an outdoor stage.

This will be the seventh year we have hosted the festival and it gets bigger and better each year. Last year almost 1,000 people attended the awards ceremony or the teen performances. Our primary sponsor is the Arts and Humanities Council, but we need matching sponsors to pay for food, prizes, and staffing. To date Valerie Ervin, Downtown Silver Spring, and Dynamic Animation Systems have answered the call, but we still need to raise another $2,000 to meet our expenses.

Your contribution of $500, $250, or even $100 will make the festival a success. Your sponsorship not only helps young people develop their public expression, it is also a great way to get exposure for your business. See our sponsor benefits table.

Please join Gandhi Brigade in hosting this unique and inspired expression of youth creativity. Help our community grow by supporting the Gandhi Brigade Just Us Youth! Media Festival. Fill out the sponsor application or download the packet here.

Sincerely,

Richard Jaeggi