Not In My Backyard
"Not In My Backyard" promotes understanding and change by linking online visitors to audio and video interviews of people from their own community who suffer from situations that are often pushed aside (mental illness, unemployment, homelessness, etc.). The strength of the stories comes in part due to their local connection.
About You
Section 1: About You
First Name
Kevin
Last Name
D'Haeze
Organization
Firefly Studios
Country
United States
Section 2: About Your Organization
Organization Name
Firefly Studios
Organization Website
Organization Phone
503-421-2388
Organization Address
Lake Oswego, Oregon
Organization Country
United States
Your idea
Name Your Project
Not In My Backyard
What is your idea? What makes it innovative? Why is it important?
"Not In My Backyard" promotes understanding and change by linking online visitors to audio and video interviews of people from their own community who suffer from situations that are often pushed aside (mental illness, unemployment, homelessness, etc.). The strength of the stories comes in part due to their local connection.
Will you launch your idea as a business or non-profit?
Non-profit
Country your work focuses on
United States
What will be the impact of your idea?
One thing we learned from the documentary we made is that watching people "speak for themselves" on camera is a powerful tool towards fostering understanding and eliminating preconceived ideas about society's problems. In addition, those who happen to suffer from the same issues discover they are not alone. This project takes the concept a few steps further...
Issues in society are often pushed aside by those who don't want to deal with them, or have them nearby. "Not In my backyard". It's easier to ignore than to understand. The use of media will "humanize" life's problems, diminishing the fear and stigma that often accompanies them, and help people understand what people go through in these situations... in their own town. Through this understanding of "neighbors", personal and political change can occur.
The site would link to ways to make positive changes through local organizations, as well as ways to get help. Citizens could also submit their own content for consideration. It is infinitely scalable to accommodate any number of cities, and easily replicated once the model is built.
Examples? Watch our mental health documentary at http://subcityfilm.com/watch.html
Who will help you develop your idea? Why are you the one to make this happen?
We are qualified to make this happen, as we have done the legwork in this type of production and editing, are technologically-savvy, and have cumulative backgrounds in both video production as well as psychology. If you watch our documentary (see the URL in the answer above), you will see samples of what we have accomplished wih NO OUTSIDE FUNDING... we did nearly every aspect of this project using our own time and talents; from research, scripting, shooting, editing, graphics, special effects... all the way to final release. So, we are anxious to see what we could do with some actual startup capital!
Our documentary, "subCITY" is already helping to shape positive changes in the mental health care system. And now, "Not In My Backyard" will use multimedia to expand change and understanding into other issues that affect society, and help our most vulnerable citizens. We will work with community leaders to provide resources for people who are watching and either need help or would like to help others.
How much will it cost to launch your idea? (This can be an estimate)
We believe $20,000 will provide us with the funds to set up a base model for the community - to film and edit several stories, develop an online presence, as well as develop a guidebook for expansion into more communities. We would also use some funds for advertising the site, engaging in community media and political outreach, encouraging people to join in the discussion, and sourcing avenues for reaching as many geographic locations as possible.
This Entry is about (Issues)
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