The See It Through Our Eyes (S.I.T.O.E.) Initiative

 This program is designed to serve designated areas in and around Nashville, Tennessee to gather information on what's "realistically" important for men and boys to learn.  Interviews and photographs of the core group are used to tell a story. We then use and examine those stories to open an arts-based discussion to discover what truly stands out as "important” to the viewer. We also implement programs to address the needs discovered as a result of the arts based dialogue. Programs include the following topics: education, employment, prison re-entry, prison recidivism, family issues, computer skills and cooking classes.

 

Male Empowerment

This speech topic focuses on ways to empower men and boys to be more open about what they are feeling. We also examine avenues that can lead men can become more involved with their families and communities.  By teaching specific skills, this discussion can help the audience in finding ways to empower themselves to become employed in the photography, movie and television industries.

 

The Five Must Haves

We will review the five most important things one should learn to be able to make it in life without having to face incarceration or financial hardship. We will explore ways to legally make and save money, take a look at our closets, make sure our hair and face are groomed, learn how to be cunning, and have patience with those around us.

 

Volunteer Slavery - “Slavery by Another Name” Documentary

 We will discuss how the speaker overcame his troubled past and examine how the high incarceration and recidivism rates for black males impacts society as a whole.   We will take a look at the PBS prison documentary, Slavery By Another Name, where he plays the lead actor.  This will be followed by a question and answer session. The speaker is a member of SAG/AFTRA.

 

Intro to Videography Production

In this session, the speaker will give the audience a hands on experience with cameras, microphones, tripods and computers. He will go over the importance of sound, pre-production, and shooting basics with the audience.  The speaker also has experience as a certified drone operator.

 

Post Production Basics

We'll take a dive into how the movie/video shoot works. The class will be split into two teams and each team will have a topic they will write a script for before they shoot, edit and export their finished product. Logging video, capturing of individuals edits and rough cuts will also be included.

 

Black Family Relationships

The speaker is the author of, Thoughts of a Man, Reflections of Love and Society, a book on black family relationships. The book explores the author’s upbringing, his family’s misguidance and the results of that upbringing. It also looks at how he landed himself in prison, but, was able to turn it around. He will also discuss how to guide youth towards prosperity, community and a mentor to youth and adults.

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