Cal Humanities

"The understanding of a culture comes from hearing the language, tasting the food, seeing personal interactions, experiencing the traditions, and so much more in context."

— Elizabeth Laval & Candice Pendergrass, Sikh Youth Public History Project

"The understanding of a culture comes from hearing the language, tasting the food, seeing personal interactions, experiencing the traditions, and so much more when it is in context."

— Elizabeth Laval & Candice Pendergrass, Sikh Youth Public History Project

California Humanities Announces Awardees 
of California Documentary Project NextGen Grants

BAYCAT

Ten Grantees Awarded $150,000 for Youth Media Grants

June 16, 2020
For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Cherie Hill, Communications Manager, chill@calhum.org

(Oakland, CA) — California Humanities is pleased to announce $150,000 in awards to ten new projects through the 2020 California Documentary Project (CDP) NextGen Grant program.

The ten CDP NextGen awards support documentary film and podcast projects by emerging media makers age 18 and under that shed light on current issues, solutions, and futures as envisioned by young people. Projects range from a youth-led documentary project exploring the issues, challenges, and hopes of young black males in South Central Los Angeles to a podcast series that considers the issues at the forefront of American politics that impact teenagers every day.

“This cohort of 2020 California Documentary Project NexGen grantees exhibit a wide range of voices and issues that matter most to them,” said Julie Fry, President & CEO of California Humanities. “It’s a great honor to support the next generation of innovative young storytellers who will share their media-making projects with communities throughout California.”

CDP NextGen grants are designed for youth media organizations in support of emerging California media makers. Presented in alignment with CA 2020: Youth Perspective and the Future of California, a statewide initiative that focuses on the lives and experiences of young people in California, CDP NextGen invites applications from California-based nonprofit organizations and public agencies with established track records in youth media programming to provide training and media literacy skills to emerging media makers as they create short, insightful, nonfiction films and podcasts that tell original stories about life in California today. NextGen funding is available for up to $15,000 per project.

Additional support for the CDP NextGen grant program is provided by the Walter & Elise Haas Fund.

2020 California Documentary Project NextGen Grants

artworxLA Podcasting Workshop: Power Over Stigma
The H.E.Art Project dba artworxLA
Project Director: Raúl Flores
A youth podcasting workshop for students at the Design & Media Arts Academy at Los Angeles Unified School District’s Central High School exploring themes of hypervisibility, invisibility, and racism.

CMAC Youth Voices
Community Media Access Collaborative
Project Director: Bryan Harley
A project to cultivate and amplify the voices of Fresno’s youth through the production of documentary videos on topics such as restorative justice practices, immigration, health, education, and other issues of community concern.

GIRLS GOVERN 2020
GlobalGirl Media
Project Director: Joanna Friedman
A training program for young women of color in Los Angeles to use digital storytelling tools to process the pain, confusion, and outrage over racial, economic, and gender injustice.

I Am Living as A Black Boy
Sunnyside Baptist Church
Project Director: Dr. Dyke “DK” Redmond
A youth-led documentary project exploring the issues, challenges, and hopes of young black males in South Central Los Angeles.

OFF THE BLOCK 2020: Visions of California
UCR ARTS at the University of California, Riverside
Project Director: Nikolay Maslov
A summer documentary filmmaking program for high school students in Riverside County.

Many Stories, One Town: Cultural Perspectives from Oakland Youth
Oakland Public Education Fund/Youth Beat
Project Director: Jake Schoneker
Oakland public high school students will write, film, and edit personal commentaries that explore a personally meaningful aspect of diversity in Oakland.

Nuevas Novelas—Ancestral Ways into the Future
Justice for my Sister, A Project of Community Partners
Project Director: Kimberly Bautista
A racial justice and gender equality online storytelling program for Los Angeles youth to create interview-based podcasts about land stewardship, environmentalism, community wellness, and media literacy.

tbh: What Teenagers Want Out of the 2020 Election
KALW Public Media
Project Director: Ben Trefny
A podcast series produced by Bay Area high school students that considers the social justice issues at the forefront of American politics that impact teenagers every day, from gun control to immigration to healthcare.

Unchartered: Bay Area Teens Document Living Through COVID-19
Bay Area Video Coalition Inc.
Project Director: Isa Nakazawa
Bay Area teens from diverse backgrounds create video diaries and short documentaries about their unique experiences and reflections during the COVID-19 crisis.

“Zoom In” Series: The End of Racism and Sexism Starts with Stories
BAYCAT (Bayview Hunters Point Center for Arts & Technology)
Project Director: Nisa Sanders
An award-winning web series of documentary shorts produced start-to-finish youth, exploring critical social justice issues about the Bay Area region—from the perspective of young people.

See a list of all past recipients of California Documentary Project grants.

View a list of current 2020 California Documentary Project NextGen grants.

About California Humanities:
California Humanities, a nonprofit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, promotes the humanities—focused on ideas, conversation and learning—as relevant, meaningful ways to understand the human condition and connect people to each other in order to help strengthen California. California Humanities has provided grants and programs across the state since 1975. To learn more, visit calhum.org, or like and follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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