|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
THE NEW AMERICANS e-newsletter - October 2003
Coming to PBS in March 2004, THE NEW AMERICANS, a ground-breaking television series that follows the intimate stories of a diverse group of contemporary immigrants and refugees from their homelands to their first years in the United States. Welcome to THE NEW AMERICANS quarterly e-newsletter with the latest information on PBS broadcast updates, producer notes and details on outreach resources and community planning across the country. In this issue, you'll find: I. PBS Announces Airdate for THE NEW AMERICANS II. Outreach Tools and Resources Update III. What's Happening in Communities IV. Partner Perspectives Subscribe to the email newsletter here. I. PBS Announces Airdate! PBS will air THE NEW AMERICANS over three consecutive nights March 29, 30 and 31 at 9:00 pm (common carriage) on Independent Lens. II. Outreach Tools and Resources Update Here are some updates on outreach resources that are available now or coming soon. To read more about THE NEW AMERICANS Community Engagement Resources or download our brochure, visit: http://www.itvs.org/outreach/newamericans/resources.html ++ Video Modules Available ++ Active Voice and Kartemquin Films have produced short, themed video excerpts from THE NEW AMERICANS series. Each 20-40 minute story excerpt is accompanied by a toolkit containing a discussion guide, training curriculum, and resource lists. The three video modules available include: "Supporting Families: Helping Teachers and Other Professionals Meet the Needs of Immigrant Families" "Finding Community: The Road Toward Immigrant Civic Participation" "Building Bridges: Deepening Understanding Between Long-Term Residents and New Immigrants" (The modules and kits will be finalized and available in 2004 for a nominal fee.) For more information, contact Ibukun Olude at 415.553.2841 or at info@activevoice.net. ++ Purchase The Full Series ++ THE NEW AMERICANS will be available for purchase on videotape this spring following the PBS broadcast. Cost for the set of three video tapes (total running time: 7 hours) will be $79.95 plus shipping. Additional ordering details to come. ++ Publicity Photos and Press Releases ++ THE NEW AMERICANS press release and photos are available to national partners, community groups and press. After October 14, you can download the press release from www.itvs.org/pressroom. If you need photos, send an email to Wilson_Ling@itvs.org and state your specific needs. III. What's Happening in Communities The NEW AMERICANS community and educational engagement online map is filling up at http://www.itvs.org/outreach/newamericans/map/index.html Read about the exciting outreach activities and add your own. Please let us know about opportunities to highlight THE NEW AMERICANS resources at conferences, meetings and workshops. ++ Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride ++ Beginning on September 22nd, nearly one thousand immigrant workers and their allies crossed the United States on buses boarded in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Chicago, Houston, Miami and Boston. The new Freedom Riders stopped at more than 100 cities, towns and workplaces to call attention to the need for immigrant worker rights. On October 1st and 2nd they met with members of Congress in Washington, D.C. and then traveled on to a rally in New York. For more information, visit http://www.immigrantworkersfreedomride.com ++ KQED/San Francisco, CA ++ KQED has incorporated THE NEW AMERICANS into the station's corporate outreach work--the KQED/ChevronTexaco Diversity Film Series by hosting five lunchtime screenings. Workshop participants learn facts about immigration and their own community demographics. Clips were shown from the series followed by a discussion during which participants share their own experiences. At a recent workshop, a man who had immigrated to the U.S. from Romania 20 years ago, stood up and shared his story of being a refugee and coming to the U.S. This was particularly poignant because he had never shared his immigrant past with his colleagues before. Outreach funding made possible by The Annie E. Casey Foundation. For more information contact: Sonya Shah, sshah@kqed.org ++ Iowa ++ N. Carolina ++ Eureka, CA ++ Binghamton, NY ++ Several of the communities funded through ITVS grants are building their NEW AMERICANS outreach campaigns around local resources that are being developed to aid immigrant groups, or build understanding about their needs in host communities. There may be local resource ideas that other communities are interested in replicating. Here are some highlights: In Eureka, California, they are developing a resource directory of local services for immigrants and refugees in Humboldt County. The directory will be distributed at their New Americans Resource Fair. North Carolina public television (UNC-TV) will be developing materials in Spanish and English to direct community leaders and educators to the resources available for New North Carolinians. In Iowa, the station (IPTV) is supporting the distribution of "The New Iowans Handbook" in classrooms across the state. In Binghamton, NY, they are creating an exhibit of local immigrant children's stories for the Children's Museum. For more information and contacts for these projects, visit http://www.itvs.org/outreach/newamericans/grants/ ++ Twin Cities ++ HarmonyWorks utilized Active Voice's video module, "Building Bridges" to present an interactive conference workshop "Promising Practices in Addressing Diversity and Immigrant Issues" in Minnesota. The conference showcased 'best practices' throughout the state in applying diversity and immigrant issues in the areas of health care, policy and education. The diversity of the heritage of the three HarmonyWorks presenters, including an immigrant, an African American and a European American helped to model the message and contribute to the conference's success. Neighborhood House worked with HarmonyWorks to introduce The New Americans Community Campaign to participants who included state-wide mayors, city council members, foundation representatives, university officials, and service providers. For more information, contact Scott Antilla at HarmonyWorks (Scott@harmonyworks.org) or Haimanot Deresse at Neighborhood House (hderesse@neighb.org). IV. Partner Perspectives Submitted by: Aviva Wasserman and students Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychology and Human Development Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN I showed the 24-minute demo tape of The New Americans to an undergraduate class at Vanderbilt University. The goal of the class is to familiarize future professionals in education and human services about our country's growing diversity and to challenge them to rethink the culturally-based assumptions that underlie their fields of study. Overall, the class' response was "two thumbs up." It was clear that they quickly felt a sense of connection with the individuals whose stories were portrayed, especially with Israel and Ngozi. The most surprising story line was that of Ricardo and Carlos. I don't think anyone in class had been aware that the Dominican Republic is a major source of potential baseball players in the U.S. As an instructor, I see this story line as having the unique potential to engage student-athletes by demonstrating the relevance of immigration issues to their area of interest. As the students pointed out, the story of Naima and Hatem was an interesting counterpoint, because "it showed the blending of an American family with a family from the West Bank," and thus provided a contrast with those people who were coming to the U.S. without any family connections. Personally, I found this the most challenging story on an emotional level, given the intensity of the human tragedy constantly unfolding in the Middle East. Again, letting the students speak for themselves: "A very touching and heartfelt film...I hope it helps to lessen discrimination and allows for more opportunities to open up for New Americans." Please forward this newsletter to a colleague or community partner. If this issue of THE NEW AMERICANS e-newsletter has been forwarded to you, you can subscribe here. |
|
|
 |
|