Meeting Carlos

Meeting Carlos was a day I will never forget. Inspirational doesn’t even begin to describe what that meeting was like. Carlos is a seventeen-year old teenager who has been through more than most go through in an entire lifetime. As he liked to put it, he “cheated death” a couple times. Carlos is an ex-gang member who spent time in Juvenile Hall and is trying to pull his life together. Not only is he trying to pull his life together, but he is succeeding at it. He is back in high school and is averaging A’s and B’s.

While Carlos was in Juvenile Hall, he began to write poetry as a form of coping with all that he was going through. At our first meeting, he shared a few of his poems with us. These poems were all so emotional, inspiring, uplifting and not to mention motivational. Each poem had a special meaning behind and a few even brought me to tears. To imagine all that he has gone through was simply unimaginable. While he was reading his poems, I realized that not only can he learn from us, but we can learn from him as well.

Although Carlos is undocumented, which makes his life and dreams that much harder to aspire to, it was truly a gift to be able to meet him to see all the fire that he had in him and hear everything that he had to share. I truly believe that Carlos can conquer anything he puts his head to. He has thus far!

He shared with us that his mother was the main reason that he was able to pull his life back together and while I was there I was really able to see that they were a loving family, no different than any other. They welcomed us with open arms, not to mention he has the cutest little sister that I couldn’t keep my eyes off of.

With the help of wonderful people like Amalia and Mothers of the Incarcerated, Carlos was able to really get it together. Having such motivational people around him I think will be a key in helping him stay on the right track. He even worked for Homeboy Industries for a little while and was able to give back to others. Carlos inspired me and showed me that if you put your head into something, commit yourself and really strive for something, there’s nothing you can’t do. He’s living proof of that.

“To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funny bone.”-Reba McEntire. Not only is this one of my favorite quotes, but it instantly reminded me of Carlos.

First Mothers of the Incarcerated Meeting

The first time we attended the Mothers of the Incarcerated meeting, I knew I was in for a treat, but I didn’t know what exactly to expect. When we walked in at 9 a.m. I saw people gathered in the kitchen having breakfast, which made for a very welcoming environment. Everyone was super friendly and eager to meet us. Amalia along with the rest of the women welcomed us with open arms.

When the meeting began everyone was together, a little later the meeting divided into two groups. One group that was just beginning to share and go on the emotional journey of trying to talk and heal all that they’ve been through and the other group was in their second phase of healing.

Although everything was spoken in Spanish and I am not a fluent Spanish speaker, I felt all the emotions in the room from start to finish. When the women went around the table introducing themselves and sharing their stories, I felt like I actually was able to understand their stories through their emotions. At times I found myself tearing up just based off of all the emotions in the room. When some of these stories were actually translated for me I really understood their stories and truly felt for all these women. They are no different than any other mother. They just wanted to be there for their children. Some of these women lost all their children to death or to incarceration and they are just trying to cope with all the pain. This has to be the hardest thing any mother could ever go through. I could never imagine or want to imagine what kind of pain these women are trying to deal with. What surprised me the most was that there were some young girls there. I actually thought it was amazing that they came to heal with their family as a unit.

During a break, I met Brenda, who heads the second group. The second group knits while they share and continue their healing process. Brenda’s brother is in jail and she’s been trying to be proactive to pass laws to help get him out. She is truly passionate about what she is doing and it really shows when she speaks.

Amalia is a true inspiration and rock for all these women. The fact that she can bring them together in such an environment to help them heal and cope with their loses is an extremely admirable thing to do. If not for her, who would do it? It’s an absolute fantastic idea for these women to get together, it’s a form of group therapy which will definitely help them down the line.

Check out short films and vote for what you think is good!

Hey Guys,

I thought this would be a great opportunity to look at a few more documentaries/short films, and what we think is good. Here is a great site to check out short videos and vote for a USC short film competition, for the viewers choice award. Check it out!

http://dornsife.usc.edu/vhi/studentvoices/vote/

Good luck with everything!


Juan Espinoza

Progress at West Adams

Our first challenge in visiting West Adams was conveying the goals of the project to the students of the class. On our last visit to the classroom before spring break, we passed out flip cameras to students and asked them to film things in their lives when they went home. Because we’d been discussing their interests in music, we told them that they might want to record themselves in places where they listen to music, but that they could film whatever they were inspired to record. When we came back to the class last week, there was a total of about a minute of footage. We had to adapt our strategy to be much more specific. Last week, we discussed individual topics – college, music, health/sports – and then picked specific students who were outspoken about one of the topics and gave them the flip cams. We’re hoping that by giving them some direction, they will be able to find something or someone to record.

Another issue we had was in coming up with an overall plan for our documentary. We knew that the students wanted to involve music, but our idea of recording a music video did not in itself provide insight into the lives of the students. Our solution was to have the students write lyrics to the music video based on their interests. Because they repeatedly talked about sports, college and music as inspirations in their lives, these subjects would be the topics of each verse. Our goal is to observe the ways in which they think about these topics, and see how their lives influence the writing of the song. The end of the documentary will be a performance of the song. We’re in the early filming stages, but when we have more footage, we hope that we will have a better idea of how successful this type of project will be.

Overall we’re excited to have started filming and to have a direction that our project is headed in. I hope that we we’re back on Wednesday, the students will have recorded some footage at home. We’ve had four visits so far and I think the class as a whole is starting to get used to our presence. I’ve taken on the approach of asking specific students questions in order to make sure they know I’m interested in what they have to say.

Moving along!

I think it's safe to say that my group and !, working with West Adams Preparatory High School, were getting a bit discouraged going into this past week. We had not had the chance to meet with them in three weeks, as they had a test two Wednesdays prior and we were on Spring Break this past Wednesday. We were slowly but surely establishing relationships with the students. and, more importantly, they were getting more comfortable and understanding of our project. Taking this time off seemed to have hurt their confidence as well, as unfortunately none of the students actually recorded anything on their flip cameras.

With all of this in mind, we entered this past week with a more concentrated agenda to try to rally the kids around. Since they chose the topics of health, education, and music as their biggest interests at the beginning of the semester, we decided to incorporate all of these into a music video. The song we are going to create will feature a verse for each of the three topics, and the students will write the lyrics themselves each Wednesday as we aid them through their thoughts in groups that choose which topic they are most interested in.

When we narrowed our focus to one thing, a lot of the students seemed to jump on board. I would not say they were excited, but I do think they began understanding that they really have to help contribute if we want to get this ball rolling. Some of the students were eager to create lyrics and throw out ideas, while others were a little less hesitant. Even the hesitant students seemed somewhat interested and on the same page of understanding, however. Also, the students vowed to use their flip cameras to get some footage of their own this time. They broke into groups for each subject and will film on their particular interest, thus making it easier for them to feel confident that their efforts are contributing to the project.

With three more weeks of video capturing, I plan on continuing to encourage the students to film their own contributions on their flip phones as well as to gather ideas for the lyrics as we progress. Optimally, the students would be thinking of these ideas for the songs on their own in their free time. While this is definitely a long-shot at this point, I do not think it is entirely impossible. We will see, I am just happy to be on the same page as the students and am sincerely enjoying our times together.

We're in GFS 101 today (Thursday)

Please spread the word...and come prepared with some questions!

Going Green

Visiting with Ron, one of the core members at Green Grounds in Los Angeles, was nothing short of fantastic. As we drove out to his home, my partner and I were getting our heads together and coming up with a strategy as to how we would go about that afternoon. We didn't know too much about him or what exactly was going to happen, but we were told to come to the blue house on the street and that was a start. Sure enough, in a few minutes an electric blue house standing bright and proud greeted us at the way into the neighborhood. At first all I could think about was how fun the house was. So wild and playful. This guy had to be pretty swell to paint his house with such a colour. Even with that, I was immediately drawn in to the beautiful garden bordering the front walkway: leaves of brilliant greens and rich purples cascading in exquisite designs, flowers in full bloom, and herbs and vegetables so fresh we could smell it as soon as we opened the car door. It was nothing short of enchanting, to be sure.

Then, we met Ron. The master himself: a sturdy man in work boots, cargo shorts, and a black tank top. He came out and greeted us warmly, offering to take us around and show us all of his plants and projects and clearly not minding the attention to talk. He was completely at home and in his element right there walking up and down the row and rows of his masterpiece. And quite honestly, it was just brilliant. The garden itself was gorgeous, not to mention practical. He actually brought us along through the garden and allowed us to sample a leaf or two... or five... from a great variety of the flowers and foods in his yard. It was fantastic. And throughout he would speak up about the plants or about himself and his involvement. It was so great to hear him talk of inspiration and creation and motivation to get people involved and back to their "roots" in cultivating and taking care of the Earth.

It was wonderful to have gone out and visited with a person who's really IN the movement for green spaces. He gets it, and he's eager to share that knowledge and passion with others in a very real and exciting way. I look forward to talking with him again as well as the members of Green Grounds that I have not yet met.

Visitors this Thursday

Hello everyone:
Just wanted to let you know that we'll have some visitors to our class on Thursday--ex-convicts from a halfway house that's sponsored by one of our community partners. They'll be telling some of their life stories, and then we'll have time for Q&A, so please bring your ideas, insights and questions.

Issues, tasks, problems encountered at St. Francis Transitional House

One of the biggest concerns for the men at the house is to get a steady job going or going to school for their particular trades. It's frustrating, especially in our present economy, for these men who have been incarcerated for a number of years to get back into this market. We've witnessed the career workshops the St. Francis house holds and I can tell it's difficult for the men to stay highly motivated with the obstacles they deal with. Even something as simple as paperwork seems to get in the way at times. When the men are released it's up to them to track down their birth certificates from wherever they can find them in order to get an identification card or driver's license. Many of the men have voiced their concern regarding the system that seems inefficient or unjust in their favor to support their rehabilitation process back into society. We're hoping to document their concerns.

Blog 3: West Adams Preparatory: Issues or Concerns

Entry #3: What are the particular issues, tasks, or problems you have encountered or anticipate during your site visit?

Many of my friends and classmates that are not from the Los Angeles area often express a fear of the neighborhood surrounding USC. Additionally, when I volunteered for the admission office, I was often asked about safety at USC. Many of these people have stereotypes that South Central Los Angeles is a dangerous place infiltrated with gangs, violence, and crime. However, having grown up in South Los Angeles, I know that these perceptions are incorrect. From my experience living and studying in Los Angeles, and from my three visits to West Adams Preparatory School, I have never felt threatened or unsafe. Instead, at West Adams everyone has been helpful, nice, and welcoming to my group.

Thus far, I have only encountered a few minor challenges with my site and with the project but none of these have been related to safety. One of the main issues that I have encountered is finding a way to tell the students what we are doing in their classroom. It is very hard for me to explain the collaboration between our class and their class. It is also very important for me to show to the students that this is not community service from our part, and that we are not there to examine their lives, but that instead we are there to learn from each other. Sometimes it might also seem like this is OUR project because we are the ones filming them during the class time, although we have given them flip cameras for them to share whatever they want. Hopefully as the students get more comfortable with my group and as we continue to work with them these next week, they will hopefully better understand our purpose and what we are trying to do—collaborate and share something new with the world.

The second challenge that I feel my group might encounter is finding ways to engage students, as well as finding methods to motivate them to help out with the film. While most of the students have been cooperative, it still seems like there are some students that are not engaged or that do not seem enthusiastic about making a documentary. When I have attempted to speak to some of the students, they sometimes do not share or express their ideas. Just recently, although we gave the students flip cameras to record whatever they wanted, we were only able to get a few minutes of footage-- meaning that many of the students did not care to actually film something. Again, I hope that as we get to know them better, they will be more enthusiastic about this project.

Another small challenge that our group might face is that of getting students to give input and decide what they want to do, without our intervention. For example, although we might have some brilliant idea for the documentary, we need to always give them the chance to express what they want to do and the approach that they want to take. We can only guide them to those ideas. Also, sometimes it is also hard to get consensus because everyone in the class has different interests. Finally, since some of the students have expressed the interest to make a music video, or to make the documentary about music, I fear that it might be hard to find an activist message.

Overall, everyone at West Adams has been welcoming and nice to our group. There are some challenges and potential conflicts that my group might face, but I am sure that once we get to know the students better and once we brainstorm ideas with the students, we will succeed at creating a documentary that will send a clear activist message. Another way that I feel my group can get better input from students is if we go to the site with a detailed plan and a detailed assignment for the students. So for example, if we decided to make a documentary about fast food, we can have every student film shots of what they eat, or shots of students interviewing each other about the topic.

Entry Four

After a few weeks of working together, what have you learned about each other? Do you share anything in common? What (beyond the obvious) are the biggest differences. What are you learning about USC and how it is changing/confirming your existing preconceptions?

At this time I feel that our partnership with the Studio is just the catalyst for the relationship I am building with the project as a whole. I wanted to get into this particular topic because I was interested in the history of Los Angeles, but I never thought I’d be questioning the history of USC. I like the idea and that my teammates seem to be in the same place (not literally). We all came here for different reasons, but never really stopped to ask how USC came to be. Knowing more about the history of a place gives the people living there a better understanding of their own identity. I like this. I’m excited to apply it to seniors and the senior class gifts (because next year I will be a senior!). I’m learning that there’s a lot to learn. Since going to the Studio I’ve realized that there are a lot of questions to be asked. It’s not that USC is a cynical corporation trying to hide its sordid past, but to find out the dirt you just have to dig. So instead of trying to focus on the negative, we’re going to work with a yearly event hypothetically everyone should be aware of; the senior class gift. Because the initial awareness level on campus about senior class figts seems low, this is reinforcing my preconceptions about USC. I think that even if we are proven wrong here, that everyone does participate in the voting, that just making a documentary about the process will bring more awareness to the subject. Sharon (from the Studio) was excited by this notion, but she is all about activism and participation in history.

SoCalStudio Group in Motion!

My concerns were similar to Kristine’s prior to our latest group pow wow with Sharon. The Studio is jam-packed with colorful projects from videos of oral histories to a community board where anyone walking through can write their definition of love. Additionally, the entire studio is founded on exploring and revealing history (not very activist-driven, as Kristine pointed out).

We have finally narrowed our thesis and we have a direction! We will focus on the Senior Gift at USC. We plan to research past gifts and investigate the effects of donating (including the calling list donors are placed on as well as the gifts they elect to have their senior class name on). To make this project more activist, we will look into the senior gifts that would benefit the community (rather than benches or a new room for the University Park campus). Some ballot items have offered seniors the opportunity to give scholarships to kids in the community or benefit USC neighbors in other ways. These options (to our knowledge at this time) have yet to be selected.

The idea has a lot of potential as an activist piece (rich with history, of course), but it will be an effort to keep it from becoming a historical documentary or a showcase of USC. The group is aware of these issues and the more we talk about them, the further we are from actually making those mistakes. The team is pretty excited to have directive and I think we can keep that momentum as long as we meet frequently enough and keep brainstorming on our group blog.

Blog Entry #3

Issues at Fades for grades are sometimes getting the students to really expand what they are thinking. Because we have been interviewing the students in groups, they are sometimes shy to really say how they feel. Once you get them one on one or in smaller groups, great content comes out of it. We also currently don't have a set topic, so when we ask questions, they are open ended. This makes it hard for the students to understand what we are asking and they answer in a one-word answer. Yes or no and if its good or bad. Another problem we have been encountering is attendance during the time we have decided to come. Students try to get home before dark and the later it gets, less kids hang around school. Our time is at 4:30-6 pm, but the sun starts to set at 5:15 pm. This makes our group that we work with very limited. If we do want a bigger pool of students to interview and consult, we will need to come at 3-4:30 pm, which is the peak of the after school program with the largest attendance. Overall, Fades for Grades have been amazing and we all really enjoy the program. Our group dynamic is very strong and I think the students at Crenshaw really enjoy our presence.

My second visit to the Francisco House left me just as heavy-hearted as the first. I introduced myself to some of the people there, who were so friendly and genuine. I also greeted Ralph and I really appreciated that he seemed happy to see me again.

This time, the topic was on Control and Setting Personal Boundaries. It was a group of about 10 men gathered together on a Saturday morning. Martin led the meeting and shared his story of a Lawry's chef who managed to talk down on him and speak ill of him to other people over a missed phone call. As Martin vented his frustrations and the the other men shared their own accounts of being "played games with by even the LA County Sheriffs" and being disrespected, my heart really felt their helplessness. They asked, "why play on someone when they are in need?"

A criminal record has a life-long impact that follows these people wherever they go. No matter how much they transformed and truly desire to become positive members in the society, it is the others in the community who aren't willing to give them a chance. The Chef claimed to be helping these men by giving them jobs, but his condescending attitude towards their history really robs them of the respect that they deserve as human beings. The fact that these ex-offenders are out of prison and on parole indicate that they've earned another chance to be part of the society again.

Another man, Kenya, has been free for 3 weeks and after apologizing for being late to the meeting, expressed his thoughts. After 30 years of imprisonment, he is back in the real world and feeling like an alien. While everyone around him is impatient, always in a hurry, he is simply trying to take everything in and being thankful for support. He says, "take one step at a time and tomorrow will be a better day". These words are so true but I know that I don't practice it myself. It's a great experience whenever I come to Francisco House because what these people have to say seem so wise and enlightening. One man, Jessie, a devout Christian, quoted the Bible that there are wolves and sheep out there and they must be as kind as doves and shrewd as vipers. Interacting with these men really gave me a graver sense of purpose to my goal to give voice to their concerns, because they're not heard and they need to be. The difficulties that they experience will only become greater. They explained to us external problems such as the corruptness of the prison and judicial system, employment and finances and internal issues that they face in the reintegration process into society such as respect from others, taking in all the changes that have happened since they were locked in and so on.

It was a really insightful meeting and I definitely look forward to next Saturday.

Entry One

Cards on the table: I was raised rich, white, and male – and in an era and country that places an unduly vast value on all three traits. Hardship in my life has meant rules forbidding television or, later, having to purchase a car with my own money (the horror!). I've never gone hungry, or feared that I would. I've never lacked shelter or a warm coat. And I've also – most significantly – never been without a support system (aside from raised eyebrows and muttered disappointment at my choosing to study film production instead of something with a hope of providing financial solvency). In light of all this, any doubt that I live a life of pure advantage must utterly evaporate when faced with the struggles detailed by the residents of the Leighton Avenue Halfway House.

Upon entering the house for the first time, I was immediately struck by both the beautiful exterior, as well as the nicely-appointed décor within. I haven't lived in such luxury since leaving for college. In fact, the whole area is – despite common USC perceptions to the complete contrary – remarkably attractive; the neighborhood differs from the suburban development of my youth only in the scope of the structures, not the quality. It was hard to imagine anyone in such nice digs complaining, at least in good faith.

However, the reasons behind the well-maintained surrounds quickly became apparent, which equally swiftly exposed the underlying differences. At a basic level, residents of the house are ex-convicts, and therefore used to regulations requiring a clean cell, tidy workplace, etc. But on a deeper level, the care and attention to detail stems not from a feeling of obligation, but of gratefulness. It's a privilege to live there, not a right, and the residents want to show their appreciation in the most practical manner possible: by taking care of that with which they've been entrusted.

Trust is fundamental to almost every aspect of these men's lives, along with its conceptual kissing-cousin Respect. Martin, by far the most extroverted of the residents we met, spoke at length during our Saturday meeting about a specific employer whom he feels abuses both. It was his testimony that really made me understand what these guys are up against, in terms of finding work.

The employer in question apparently hires out of the house often, generally for landscaping or minor construction jobs. He is also known for being generally late with payments to the residents, and furthermore, usually speaks and deals with them in a degrading, abusive manner. I say he is “known” for this because everyone in the house is aware of it – several others who had previously worked for him chimed in after Martin with similar feelings.

Any other people faced with this situation would just look for work somewhere else. But the ex-cons simply don't have that option. They're offered work so infrequently that they really have no choice – despite this jerk leaving threatening voicemails late at night, and his penchant for complaining to Sister Julia (the ultimate authority of the house) about any perceived slight. As Martin pointed out, their only available course of action is to grin and bear it, since they can all be sent back to prison at any time if any hint of rebellious behavior is detected. It's a horrifying, dehumanizing hair-suspended sword under which they all must live.

So the meetings, whatever other purposes they also serve, seem particularly effective as just a place to be heard. The value of a witness, nothing more, cannot be overstated. I look forward to learning more about the specific situations of Martin and the others, as their perspective on the subject of unemployment is unique, but extends universally by way of their necessarily-repressed frustration.

Entry Three

After weeks of observation at my site, there weren't many problems. Some of the particular issues I have noticed at New Village have been keeping the students interested in what we are doing. It was difficult at first to keep there attention without them messing around, but through our recent discussions they have opened up and provided thoughtful commentary on issues which they might want to pursue for the documentary. Another issue which our group has discussed is to figure out how much of the documentary will be in their hands and ours. We need to set forth the distribution of the documentary. Also another task which I have encountered is that we haven't started taping anything because it has taken us awhile to get the students talking. I hope soon we will have a topic to start structuring what we will be doing. Also I feel like alot of girls don't want to be on camera which is perfectly fine! But i hope there will be some who will so we can show that they are working with us. Other than that the faculty at New Village is great and very helpful!!

So Cal Studio Project

Entry Three:
What are the particular issues, tasks or problems you have encountered or anticipate during your site visits?
The Studio is a visual cacophony of historical remnants of Los Angeles. I anticipate too much information to be able to sift through or even summarize into a five minute documentary. More problematic is the task of turning history into an activist discourse. As the director of the project, Sharon is very opinionated about the aspects of USC history that she feels have been covered up to protect the school from scrutiny. When compared to the oppositional point of view from USC representatives the results could be very interesting. We need to narrow down the history and pinpoint controversy (thought it might not be in our best interest as current students to stir the pot). Depending on the specific information from Sharon and then rely on documenting background work and interviews, we should be able to bring to light an activist standpoint on the history of USC.

Fades For Grades (2)

My second visit to Crenshaw High School definitely turned out to be interesting and fulfilling for the group. At first we were a little apprehensive because there weren't nearly as many boys as the last time, and some of the boys were new. We asked Rick if there would be an inconsistency in number for the rest of the semester, and his uncertainty made me a little nervous because I was really looking forward to building relationships with all of the boys. We decided to continue on with our plan, however, and we taught the boys how to work the cameras that we brought. We started out having them interview each other; they were a bit hesitant at first, but they got more into it when we started rotating and allowed them to ask whatever questions they wanted. They began to loosen up and show us different dance moves that they learned, and it was enjoyable to see how they interacted with each other.

Next we had the boys give us a filmed tour of their school. We split up in two different groups and walked around different parts of the campus while the boys pointed out different classrooms and areas. I really enjoyed how eager the boys were to let us into their world. Also, because we were a smaller group they were able to open up to us more about their lives and how their experience in this school has been. I was surprised to hear their candid stories and views about other students and themselves.

I think we were able to get some good footage for this visit, and it has definitely sparked some different ideas for us to gather for our final documentary.

West Adams

Last week was my first visit to West Adams Preparatory. The school was located not too far from campus and from what Mario (the teacher) told us, it was built only four years ago. My first impression of the school was that it did not fit into the community. Just from the outside, the architecture was modern and the color of the school was green. A possible explanation for this may be that the school wants to change the perception of West Adams as just another school located in downtown LA.

Upon our arrival, we had to go check into the office they were checking IDs for all visitors. I this was not much of a surprise for me because I have volunteered before for JEP and i know that the schools around USC are cautious about who they let into onto school grounds. I know that you can get onto my high school's campus through multiple entrances. Perhaps this is due to the "safeness" of a school.

When we met Mario he made it easy to take control of the class. We were talking to high school sophomores, some of which have teamed up with past WRIT340 classes, while others were taken by complete surprise. When we first explained why we were there and what we wanted to do, many of the kids were still indifferent and/or confused about the project. We had the students collaborate in groups of four to brainstorm. Still, i dont think the students really had a good grasp on what we wanted to do and so i told them past projects. Only when i told them about the video on jerking did they seem mildly interested in what we had to say. I know that this may have been a bad move because now I have primed them to think in certain ways but many of the students told me about their past project and told me that they were not interested in it at all. So i decided that it was a good action to take even though there may be repercussions. They came up with issues of fast food and perceptions of their school and neighborhood as well.

High school students are high school students so I know that the more we move away from academic topics and into lifestyle more popular culture/mainstream topics they are much more engaged. I am looking forward to seeing what we end up doing.