Please join us in supporting these student representatives as they embark on a journey of storytelling that will bring their stories to the World. Your tax deductible donation can be made via our fiscal sponsor BAVC. Any amount helps! DONATE NOW

For donations by mail, please download donation form PDF HERE

August 3, 2009: INAUGURAL WORKSHOP

We held our first workshop in Sierra Leone during the month of August 2009. This inaugural workshop represents a culmination of two years of hard work and planning. This has been a dream since our life changing introduction to the people of Sierra Leone during production of the Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars documentary seven years ago.

We selected 18 young women and men to take part in the program and they are excited to learn and thrilled with the opportunity these new skills will represent in their lives. WeOwnTV will make enormous positive change in their lives and help them realize their dreams.

How you can help:

Every amount helps in supporting the workshop, the newly add curriculum and additional student participation. Please join us in supporting these student representatives as they embark on a journey of storytelling that will bring their voice and story to the World. Your tax deductible donation can be made via our fiscal sponsor BAVC, click here.

For donations by mail, please download donation form PDF HERE

WeOwnTV is the first lucky break these students have had and we need your help in making this dream a reality for them. Your donation will be a step towards personal healing and professional development for these young people who have survived such tragedy.

Thank you everyone for all of your donations and support, past and future.
With deepest of appreciation for creating positive change in the lives of all the WeOwnTV students!

Team WeOwnTV
Banker White, Zach Niles, Black Nature, Dave Robb, Alex Resier, Emilie Reiser

What your individual donation can do:

$50 – will keep the workshop open with the lights on, for a day, by paying for gas for the generator.

$75 – will ensure their participation by giving their families financial assistance. As key financial contributors to their families, each student will be given a $75 stipend to make up for any income lost while taking part in the August workshop.

$150 – will buy students their own mini video camera -- this gift will be invaluable in developing their technical skills, evolving their creative storytelling and actively engaging their participation in producing new media after the first workshop is complete.

$1000 ($250 per week) – will sponsor one of these remarkable students’ whole WeOwnTV experience! This includes travel to and from the workshop, lodging and meals for the entire month, a per diem for the students and a stipend for their families. The life changing educational experience -- priceless!

Here is some detailed information on program additions:

Four additional students added to the August workshop; Our in country staff has been impressed by the interest and commitment presented by several students that had not made the original list and advocated for their participation. We have agreed to add four students and will support their participation with additional staff members and added equipment.

Newly added staff "Personal Video Journaling" curriculum: We recently were introduced to two extraordinary filmmakers who have agreed to join our team and participate in the August workshop. Currently based in Sierra Leone, Bremen Donovan is an experienced youth educator from Charlottesville, Virginia; and attending by way of Uganda, Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine is a first generation Ugandan American working in the mediums of photography, theatre, film and television. His acting credits include: the upcoming HBO series "TREME," recurring roles on "HEROES," "THE RICHES," "ER," and "CSI" and the Warner Bros. film "BLOOD DIAMOND." To support this new curriculum, we are procuring a personal video device for each student and organizing a stable internet connection for our group.

There are many ways you can get involved:

Equipment Donations

We also very much appreciate in-kind donations of the equipment we will need to establish our permanent media center in Freetown.
Please contact us directly at sierraleone@weowntv.org
Here is a partial list of the kinds of things we are looking for. (Gently used is fine.)

Apple video-editing stations - Apple G5 (or maybe the newest G4) Power Mac towers. G5 iMacs and Mac minis would also work. If you are able to donate newer ones, that would be great, too! We will gratefully accept laptops of any kind (either Mac or PC).

Monitors - We prefer LCD monitors because CRT displays are too big and heavy to take to Africa. However, if any monitor is in good condition, we will happily accept it.

DV Cameras - Cameras especially need to be in good working order. Ideally, we would like prosumer 3CCD models, like the Sony PD-150/170, Sony PDX10 or Cannon XL1/GL1.

Mics and boom poles - Almost any microphone would be useful. Shotgun mics and lavalier mics would be awesome!

Digital still cameras - We will use these to teach the students how to maintain scene continuity between video takes.

Assorted hardware and peripherals - For example, we need USB Mac keyboards and mice, wired and wireless networking hardware, and a 100-foot spool or two of Cat 5 cables. And because video files are so huge, we can use as many external hard drives as possible (preferably FireWire, but USB 2.0 could work as well).

MiniDV tapes and lots of them!