You might be a parent with a child from a war torn state or an immigrant who has opened a business in Los Angeles and aware that it really matters that two LAUSD Teachers are going the "Extra Mile to Keep a Promise to Afghan Friends by continuing to raise last minute funds in order to host and deliver a 9th International Youth Media Summit here in Southern California this July.  They welcome contributions and invitations to speak out about the power of media to motivate young voices and drive future careers in a week when Tower of Youth students in Sacramento are preparing to speak out as advocates for new funding for Career Tech in California and tax credits for production are also being discussed both in Los Angeles and Sacramento.

Seubert and Gleason run the acclaimed Cleveland High School's Media Academy.  As LAUSD teachers and passionate citizens, they are working with partners, students, parents, and colleagues round the clock now to find scholarship dollars to support international students who are planning to join Californian students as a cultural exchange that reflects why the movie business grew to be so important worldwide- it encourages new voices, new technology, creative thought and production through collaboration.

They are looking to match funds or find final underwriters to bring youth together at the Soba University, July 14-27^th.  They will be introducing Californians to world citizens, bringing in summer tourism dollars through cultural exchanges (9^th summit) and renewing student hopes to grow up and return to our state to build companies, work at home to work with others companies online, and concurrently bringing the International Youth Media Summit back home to So Cal after touring the world.

As a background of continuing achievement, eight years ago, Wais Yameen and Masooda Yusufzai from Afghanistan were invited to be delegates at the first International Youth Media Summit. Because of the post 9/11 climate they were denied visas.  With press help, for last minute interviews, LAUSD teachers, Evelyn Seubert and James Gleason

hope to keep their promise to reunite with some of the original delegates, Wais and Masooda, now able to get papers to join the other expected 80 young people and teachers from 24 countries expected at this 9th Summit.

Here's a partial list: Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong – China, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kosovo, Macedonia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and The United States of America. In Los Angeles 2014 we will have some new countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Palestine, Gambia.

Seubert and Gleason started the Summit to help young people use collaborative media projects to overcome cultural prejudices and build a better future for all.

This will be the first time the Summit will be back in the U.S. since 2006.  It will soon be held at Soka University in Aliso Viejo this July 14-27, the international delegates will work together to address seven urgent social issues:

    Discrimination

    Environment

    Health

    Poverty

    Violence

    Women's Rights

    Youth

They'll perform a day of service with local nonprofits, make seven public service films and develop study guides and declarations for action to take back to their home countries.

Summit films have been screened in hundreds of venues and won countless awards, including the U.N. Global Issue Award.

As Senator Dianne Feinstein wrote, "There is no doubt that [the Summit's] extraordinary efforts have touched countless lives and will continue to do so for many years to some."

Seubert, Gleason and their students from Cleveland High's Teen International Media Exchange, producer of the 9th Summit, have had to go into overtime to raise the funds to get delegates from the developing world to the U.S.

Funding for the Balkan delegations was diverted to the flood victims in that region and other anticipated funding evaporated. But they are determined to find the money to ensure that all the delegates. Please give a life line to this important project.

It follows on the success here and abroad of this "summit approach".  And educational programs statewide, nationally and internationally which focus on the of use cameras, storytelling, production, editing, sound craft, talent to enliven learning.

The return of the Summit celebrates the power of its concept to recognize big issues in Education and the Economy. In California a state whose creativity, innovation, production and talent has thrilled the world, this is a small step for those involved, but a large step towards peaceful dialogue with future talent, challenging questions and great teachers.  Like "Captain America's" Winter Soldier's reeling credits, students are studying Adobe software and learning about the marketplace for good documentaries and public service messaging. The friends they'll make staying home will not only problem solving, coding, stunts, multinational and local production, finishing  and more.  It represents evolving technologies (Arts and Sciences) and the students's seeking the tools to have a say in their future.  Please call (818) 512-1337 to book an interview or write evelyn.seubert@sbcglobal.net immediately this week.

The Media Summit:

http://iyms.info/iyms/?p=1027

One of the themes, Violence prevention:

http://iyms.info/iyms/?page_id=207

No longer a new idea, but one that encourages creative thinking:

http://youthvoices.adobe.com/

http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/

http://storycenter.org/

Unesco Studies on Youth Engagement:

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002156/215607E.pdf

http://iyms.info/iyms/?p=970

Rotarians could unite and contribute:

https://www.rotary.org/en/rotaract-interact-and-ryla