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Fourth Annual Festival

The Children of Birmingham

06:17 min
Animation
Director: Rebecca Yenawine
Producer: Kids on the Hill

Winner of the Youth Video Award
Sponsored by Time Warner Foundation

FILMMAKER BIOS

Kids on the Hill, Producer

In 1994 Rebecca Yenawine bought a home in Reservoir Hill. In her efforts to become an active participant in her new neighborhood she began to invite the young people she saw on the streets into her living room. Eager for attention and something to do, children and teens dropped in to play the piano, share some food, try their hand at painting and drawing and for the warm conversation.  They felt encouraged. They made a habit of returning. In 1999 Kids on the Hill was formed as a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing an outlet for young people to share their creative talents. After eight years, Kids on the Hill continues to touch the lives of young people by allowing them to realize their unique abilities and by offering them the tools to express these talents and showcase them in their communities. The program creatively engages young people in artistic and educational experiences that enable them to explore their potential while confronting and diminishing barriers of race, class, gender and age. They make a variety of arts projects that have a social change message. Projects include boarding vacant buildings with kids’ artwork, a teen created video about drugs in the community, and photography by young mothers shown on the side of city buses.