This year’s program

Youth Voices 2022

Our 2022 cohort was comprised of high school and middle school students from Fresno, Clovis, Madera, Tollhouse, and Porterville. These young filmmakers began meeting in June 2022. Teaching Artists Meng Lee and Sergio Cortes guided them through a comprehensive 14-week training program that included topics such as media literacy, idea generation, scriptwriting, field production, audio production, editing, and post-production. Participants produced documentary films about issues of their own choosing.

This year’s program was made possible by funding from The California Endowment and from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Blanca Barajas (Edison High School, Fresno). Topic: Disappearing Wetlands: “My goal is to spread awareness about the wetlands that used to be here and how the drastic changes have affected us. I would like to reimagine a future in which my home in the Central Valley has become much more sustainable and restored, without the presence of corporate greed. I also want to gain experience with digital media, since that is the career I’m interested in.”

Carolina Lee (Edison High School, Fresno). Topic: Cyberbullying: “I would like to make a documentary about cyberbullying and screen usage. This is a topic that has been talked about a lot but I truly think is important for this generation, and definitely affects those in my community. Just recently there have been many anti-Black Instagram accounts targeted at schools like “bsublacks” targeted at Bullard’s Black students, which is extremely racist, a form of cyberbullying, and which should not be tolerated.”

Colby Horsman (Computech Middle School, Fresno). Topic: Climate Change in the Valley: “Climate change is concern for our valley because of drought. Water has become the oil of the valley, and without it our agriculture economy will be in grave danger. I want to dive into the stories of climate change, including talking to famers, workers, families, and climate advocates. I will explore what we can do to make a change in both our own lives and the policies that are driving this change.”

Cosmo Velez (Sierra High School, Tollhouse). Topic: Education Barriers: “In schools there seems to be an increasing divide between the two paths you can take. There are the A.P-take-every-hard-class-I-can students, and the kids that don’t take any higher level classes. Students often express they feel treated differently if they take certain courses. Is there any truth towards this prejudice?”

Daniela Maciel Navarro (Summit Charter High School, Porterville). Topic: First Generation Latinos: “An issue that I have found myself in throughout my time at high school so far would be the education rates in the Hispanic-Latino communities. Education in general within hispanic families is a touchy subject. As many of our parents are immigrants and have had to work since a very young age, continuing higher education is praised. There are definitely many layers to education and I understand that it’s not perfect but I know it will come my way harder in the future.”

Fernando Ortega (Computech Middle School, Fresno). Topic: LGBTQ+ Rights: “The story that I would like to inform people with my documentary is the issues of LBGTQ+ rights, and how they should all be treated the same not mattering the sexuality they are labeled as. I feel like more awareness should be brought up about these protests and riots happening near Fresno in the Central Valley, and also around California about how people are being treated differently because of who they are labeled as or are attracted to. The documentary should try to inspire other people to embrace themselves for who they are and should encourage people to act and fight for their rights. It should try to help normalize the idea of labels, pronouns, and sexuality to other people, that it really should not be such a big deal and that everyone is human and should be treated the same.”

Grace Persons (Buchanan High School, Fresno). Topic: Angel Babies Program: “I would like to bring more light and attention to the Hinds Hospice Angel Babies program. They are a Central Valley organization that helps families that loses babies pre and post pregnancy. This organization holds a special place in my heart because it has been a prominent part in the lives of my family. My parents lost by brother when he was born, and they didn’t know how they would continue on through their lives. Hinds Hospice helped my parents through their grief and showed them a community of people who knew exactly what they were going through. I would like to share the stories of those people, the story of the founder and how she created this amazing organization, and show others that could be going through this that they aren’t alone.”

Isabella Riley (Liberty High School, Madera). Topic: The Dangers of Fentynal: “The idea that I have for the documentary is to bring awareness to drugs on the street of Fresno. I want young people to realize that Fentanyl is not a game. If you even take a small amount there is a great chance that you can die. If you don’t die, you’re lucky but know that your mind will never be the same again. Fentanyl is hurting many people and it’s sad to see young people throw their lives away for a drug that will likely kill them. People need to know about this drug and they need to know the harmful consequences they will face if they take it.”

Kaylee Offerman (Justine Garza High School, Fresno). Topic: Teens and Eating Disorders: “This documentary will give insight on how food can effect a pretty girl who has a good family and straight A’s in a pandemic who constantly had to be with herself all the time. Yet my story does cover everyone who struggles with eating, it can still reach to some people who are going through the same things I went through. Along with giving insight with people who may not have it but notice someone who might be having a hard time. This effects the community because it impacts people a lot of people who struggle with it. Overall I am trying to send a message that no one is alone and no one has to go through it alone.”

Rami Zwebti (Buchanan High School, Fresno): Topic: COVID-19 and Mental Health: “I am a human-rights activist in my community, even appearing on global news for the speeches I have given. I primarily focus on COVID-19 and how it impacts the mental/physical well-being of students. In fact, I am currently writing an article about how COVID-19 made my classmates who were infected feel. I have interviewed three people so far, and will be finishing the article soon. While COVID-19 may not seem like the biggest issue at the moment, it is important that we remember those who have lost family members to it.”

Ryan McFarland (Phillip J. Patiño School of Entrepreneurship, Fresno). Topic: Homelessness: “A big story that is important to me is addressing homelessness in the Central Valley. To illustrate this story I will interview those directly affected by homelessness and those actively supporting the homeless throughout the Central Valley. Giving a voice to those who are unable to be heard and are frequently ignored and silenced is very important to me. It troubles me to see those affected by homelessness being treated like they are nothing and they have no story to be told. I want to be there for them to feel heard, and wanted, and that their story is important.”

Sukhan Brar (Granite Ridge Intermediate, Fresno). Topic: Traffic Safety: “In my documentary, I want to talk about reckless driving and pedestrian accidents throughout Fresno and Clovis. I want to figure out why these accidents happen and how they can be prevented. I have a couple of friends who have experienced losing someone a relative to a jaywalking or reckless driving accident. They can help make a personal connection with the viewer and increase the chance the viewer will take precautions.”