The great thing about the evolution of the internet is the connectivity and communication we have access to. I can know instantly what is happening on the other side of the world through live tweets, YouTube videos, and Facebook posts. Any person can determine what is important to them and share it with the world. For CHILDREN AT RISK, this is especially important considering the issues that we work on. Human trafficking, public education reform, parenting, and children’s health issues need advocates. Through social media and traditional media, we are able to educate those who care about children and engage them in improving children’s lives.
One way we are able to educate others on these important topics is through shareable media. Pictures, data and videos all serve as ways to get people’s attention and inform them to on the issues that are key to instrumental change in Texas. Through AmeriCorps VISTA, I was tasked with creating 6 educational videos to serve as tools to educate community members. Although I grew up using digital cameras and editing software, producing a video from start to finish was a daunting task. I began by researching and learning all about producing short videos.
With the research under my belt I started combing through CHILDREN AT RISK’s presentations on our first issue area: Poverty. I gathered all relevant and compelling statistics about child poverty to illustrate the need for change. Together with the experts at CHILDREN AT RISK, I wrote a narrative for the video, condensing all the data and information into a short 2 minute video. The story demonstrated the role of poverty in children’s lives and why we should care about children who grow up in poverty. After a script was finished I turned it over to one of our volunteers, a recent film and animation graduate, who assisted with the pre-production and animation for the video.
These videos will help us inform lawmakers and community leaders about the issues that exist in our communities and how they affect children. Poverty is pervasive in Houston and across the United States. Oftentimes people see low graduation rates and high incarceration rates as problems, when poverty stands as a common denominator in all of these. Poverty affects all of our issues, so it made sense to start there with our first video.
Ashley Lai is an Outreach Coordinator and AmeriCorps VISTA at CHILDREN AT RISK. AmeriCorps VISTA is the national service program designed specifically to fight poverty. Authorized in 1964 and founded as Volunteers in Service to America in 1965, VISTA was incorporated into the AmeriCorps network of programs in 1993. VISTA has been on the front lines in the fight against poverty in America for 45 years.