Vision Maker Media Provides
Funding Support for Two Election Projects
Two new projects will provide deeper understanding of the upcoming national election as it relates to Native American issues, thanks to funding support from Vision Maker Media.

These projects are designed to provide online and offline PBS viewers the opportunity to consider issues related to Indigenous people and to further discussion about these issues. Both projects have the potential for streaming and national broadcast on PBS, will be accessible to a broad audience and will be used for effective outreach/community engagement activities.
 
"The goal of the Election Coverage Project is to increase the diversity of voices available to PBS viewers in discussing issues related to Indigenous people. The rights, needs and hopes of Native people are often missing from campaign dialogue," said Shirley K. Sneve (Rosebud Sioux), executive director of Vision Maker Media.

The Vision Maker Media Election Coverage Project recipients are:

New Mexico PBS/KNME - Elections 2016: Voting for Future Generations will feature Antonia Gonzalez of the National Native News as the correspondent and co-producer for the four five-minute mini-documentaries. They will feature emerging Native leaders who share why the 2016 elections are important for their personal and professional lives. Local leaders will speak about issues and concerns in four areas: education, economic development, environment and the justice system.  MORE
MIGIZI Communications - Elections 2016 will feature a series of six five-minute videos that will address the absence of American Indian issues on the campaign trail. Young American Indian high school students, who participate in the MIGIZI Communications Summer Media Institute as part of the New Media Pathways youth development program, will work with producers on the series. MORE
Producer: 
Tiana LaPointe
(Sicangu-Lakota)
Co-writer/Interviewer: Bobby Wilson (Dakota)
 
Native American Archives & Collection Holders
Tribal Survey to Assess State of Media Archives
We need your help. We're asking Tribes, filmmakers and other collection holders to assess the state of archival media across Indian Country, a joint effort with ATALM. Complete our short survey, even if you don't have any media collections, we ask that you at least open the survey and tell us.

Survey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/K8VXT5M

Vision Maker Media is concerned that we are losing important documentation of Tribal history and culture due to the changing nature of media and digitization. Running a professional archive with proper storage, climate control, access and records is expensive, but there are basic steps that can be taken to prevent further damage to old media and keep it safe.

With funds from the National Endowment for the Arts and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, we have a Native Media Archives Guide that provides information on how to keep your archives safe.
Navajo Math Circles & Ishi's Return 
Two New Viewer Discussion Guides
Vision Maker Media's educational materials help guide film discussions by providing basic facts about the film and topic, discussion questions,
suggested activities and resources for teachers and students. 

Two guides now available for free online help you better understand the topic and provide messages from the producer: Navajo Math Circles and Ishi's Return. 

Watch Navajo Math Circles to learn how Navajo students collaborate with mathematicians to explore questions in mathematics, using a model called math circles. Ishi's Return gives you and your students an opportunity to revisit a pivotal moment in Native history, the unexpected appearance of a starving Indian in Oroville, California, in 1911. Ishi was billed as the "last wild Indian."
June 8-9 - Prior to ALLIANCE 2016 Conference
Filmmaker Training in Oakland
The 2016 Vision Maker Media filmmaker training will help filmmakers explore the strategic art of documentary storytelling in a way that ensures project completion and ultimate success. We'll highlight the use of social media in the documentary film world and the development of ancillary materials to expand the impact of your film.

Filmmakers who are funded by Vision Maker Media will participate in this training, which will be held June 8-9, in Oakland, California. This year's training is held in partnership with ALLIANCE 2016 June 9-12, hosted by the National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture (NAMAC). Check out the schedule.
We're On the Road: Come Find Us

* May 8-13: INPUT - Calgary
 
* May 15-18: PTPA & PBS Annual Meeting, Chicago 

* June 8-9: VMM Filmmaker Training, Oakland, California

* June 9-12: NAMAC - ALLIANCE 2016, Oakland, California
 
Because of Your Support...
Many ask how to inspire Native Youth to make wise choices, learn, honor and celebrate their Tribal identity. One effective way is by using the powerful impact of media to inspire a positive generational shift in Native youth and to encourage them to relate to the world in constructive ways. After all, films that make us think in a new way often have a more lasting effect. 

Native media can help shape our youth's perceptions of the Native world and how others like them live within that world. Your support helps expose Native youth to meaningful stories that are relevant to their own experiences. 

The Medicine Game is a good example of media that helps fulfill this purpose. This story follows two brothers from the Onondaga Nation and shows how their unique upbringing fostered their dream to become top college lacrosse players. The brothers play the sport of their ancestors with a different purpose, to honor Native teachings. This story engages Native youth and shows them how others learn, honor and celebrate their Tribal identity. 

Thanks to your support, anyone who followed the two brothers as they pursued their dreams of playing lacrosse for national powerhouse Syracuse University can now follow four new episodes. Beginning May 15, the new episodes of this story will be available online on Vision Maker Media's YouTube channel. The new episodes follow the brothers through graduation and entering the professional ranks of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) and Major League Lacrosse (MLL) leagues. We learn more about two other brothers who also play lacrosse.

With your support we can continue to encourage more young Native People to learn about their culture and how to embrace their Tribal identity. You can help support our efforts. Please join us by donating online now.

We thank those of you who provided your support during the current fiscal quarter. 

Dawn Amory
Roy Clem
Jo Anna Dale
Calvin W. Fox
Brian Gunn
Hampson-Medina Family Fund
Myron Long Soldier
Henry Rikkers
Ron Salak
Maya Solis



Increase your support during Give To Lincoln Day, May 26. On this special day, your donation qualifies for matching funds. Your donation will help us continue our work. Funds will be matched by the Lincoln Community Foundation, and you can make your pledge anytime between now and May 26. 
Thank You to Our Sponsors

Vision Maker Media Receives Major Funding from the
Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)

 

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Sent On: 5/10/16