Just a quick note:
The April PSG Meeting will feature Loren John Presley, a local college student with Aspergers and author of Starship One and The Anastasia Project. The meeting last year included parents and students and was very moving for all participants. More information on this meeting later.
Also, thanks to Julie Green who helped bring Achieving in Higher Education with Autism/Developmental Disabilities, AHEADD, into Bakersfield. Holley Arbeit is the local representative for college students learning to develop academically and developmentally. From the website:
- Coaching, Mentoring & Personal Advocacy for
College Students with:- Aspergers Syndrome
- Attention Deficit Disorder
- High-Functioning Autism
- Learning Disabilities
- Non-Verbal Learning Disability
- Aspergers Syndrome
- We're helping college students succeed academically and socially at some of the country's
most competitive colleges.
An Evening with Joey Travolta, Inclusion Films, about The Performing Arts Project
To introduce the evening's presentation, a film was shown about the HEAL Film Camp. Healing Every Autistic Life, HEAL Foundation, a nonprofit organization in the greater Jacksonville area, Florida. HEAL sponsors the HEAL Foundation Film Camp with Joey Travolta and works to better the lives of those on the autistic spectrum.
Our local effort is called The Performing Arts Project from Joey Travolta, Inclusion Films. The Performing Arts Project (for funding reasons, not Film Camp) takes participants from 8-young adult. Workshops are transitional between projects/camps to and the more intense vocational training. The progressive programs are set up to further the goals by giving participants their own place to expand and grow. Currently, Inclusion Films is well known for the participants becoming a community. They create something together as a group by finding gifts that they have that they may not get to appreciate out in everyday life. The vocational program could lead to internship, either regular internship or paid internship, if the participant is motivated to become employed in the film industry. The adult vocational training can be referred to and partially or fully funded by Kern Regional Center (KRC),
PATHPOINT, as well as HIRE programs. In Burbank, Inclusion Films gets referrals and works with service coordinators.
Please note that none of these programs are not classified as "recreation" in terms of funding. Recreational funding was an often misused funding classification to describe certain programs that participants enjoyed doing. Due to current economic times, recreational funding has been cut across the board. While participants enjoy The Performing Arts Project, it teaches many, many serious vocational and life skills. There have been success stories. Joey shared stories of participants becoming mentors and teachers in the programs and workshops as well as continuing to work on their own projects, such as the band, Arrest My Sister.
Joey Travolta is a former Special Education teacher, where he used to do special things such as "race track math", songs, and creative rewards. Inventive as a director, he makes people feel comfortable so they do their best. In the beginning of the projects, camps, and workshops, the participants separate into similar age groups and make a movie. Each movie has a theme that other similar segments revolve around, such as a talk show or Junior Apprentice. The similar segments are things that fit within that theme, such as public service announcements (PSAs), commercials, film clips, etc. Participants do all phases of the production, behind as well as in front of the camera.
The local efforts have evolved a great deal. At first they were held in the Bakersfield College Downtown Center. Then they moved to the Goodwill on Chester Ave, where participants took advantage of the upper and lower levels – as well as the ready supply of props. Now, they are moving to the old downtown JC Penney building, preparing for a full studio setup! As soon as September 1, 2010, the old JC Penney will provide enough room and resources to provide a stable place to genuinely set up a studio, with a recording studio, sound stage, make-up, theatre, etc. They will be able to produce and promote educational, family, and fun full length films. They are preparing to make 10 films locally. Inclusion Films are looking for scripts and are planning to be in production by October-November. They are looking for three scripts immediately for holiday, dog/animal, and family/any-good-story. Comparatively, the projects and workshops are 25-30 minutes on a shoe-string budget. The full length movies will have a budget $120,000-$150,000. They will have a niche label with education, inclusion, and employment. Also, Inclusion Films are working on setting up a distribution group for foreign, TV, and family group markets.
As Jill Egland, Arts Council of Kern, explained, participants are chosen through an application process where they get to express their interest and get a description of the program. The plus is that Jill Egland gets to meet the members of the new community!
The tuition for The Performing Arts Project is $1300. KRC clients can get help with this by contacting their case worker while Jill Egland contacts KRC concurrently. There are also merit based scholarships available. Enrollment starts as soon as – now! Participants can email or call Jill Egland, 661.324.9000 to get an email of the enrollment form. Peer mentors and siblings are encouraged!
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