Background

Local Filmmaker, Tracey Deer, has worked with the students of the Kahnawake Survival School for the past three years on a film and video training initiative made possible through Tewatohnhi'saktha, the economic development commission of Kahnawake. Both the Small Business Services division and the Employment and Training division have supported the program that has continued to evolve based around the interests and needs of the students.

The program began in the spring of 2004 with a group of students who devoted their lunch hour breaks to learning about and making films. In 2005, the program was integrated into the classroom, allowing more students to be exposed to the field of film and video. In 2006, the program was expanded to explore the many facets of multi-media. The goal has been to expose the students to different career options and to encourage personal expression, creativity, and pride in one's work.

Part 1: Film, video & photography production

The fields of film, video and photography have many career opportunities but, unfortunately, it can feel out of reach to many who consider it. The program focused on instilling confidence in those students who have the desire to pursue it and to show them that it is in fact possible to succeed. They learned about composition, lighting, different filming techniques, story-telling methods and hands-on experience with photography and filming equipment as well as editing systems.

Part 2: Website creation

The Internet is full of possibilities for career options: graphic designers, computer programmers, dot.com businesses, advertising, etc. The program guided students through the process of creating their own class website to showcase their work and thoughts. They learned about basic web design, graphic design and "blogging."

Final Product

This website is a compilation of all the students' hard work. They combined their writing with video and editing to create a space that showcases their thoughts, beliefs and goals. Please browse through the site to get to know this incredible group of young people from the Kahnawake Survival School.