Each year, the Directors of Change program, a joint initiative between Nokia and Free The Children, works with youth across the country by training students to create a short documentary film around social issues. The film is then used in high schools across Canada as a teaching tool. This past February, a team of students travelled to Udaipur, India to explore critical issues through the lens of professional cameras and Nokia’s N95 devices. The documentary was filmed by 17 high school filmmakers and overseen by three producers.

The filmmakers fundraised to finance their trip and raised awareness about the Directors of Change program. Five of the students received Nokia-sponsored scholarships that are distributed based on financial need, leadership qualities and creativity. Once they raised enough money, the students embarked on a trip of a lifetime.

Upon arrival students were greeted by local hosts in Udaipur, where they spent the next week immersed in Indian culture. The young filmmakers explored a variety of issues facing the area including alternative options and actions that are being taken to resolve local challenges such as lack of access to education.

They discovered the hardships, dreams and aspirations of their peers in India. They worked on story development and prepared interview questions for their subjects. To ensure a community-driven, balanced perspective of the issues, students were joined by three local youths who participated in the filmmaking process and helped guide them throughout the filming process.

“When I got here, I realized that we can change things, we can raise people’s awareness,” said one trip participant. “We have to go home and tell the story.”
And that’s exactly what they hope to do with their upcoming documentary.
With Nokia’s involvement, Free The Children’s Director’s of Change program has produced three films. The films will be submitted to various film festivals with the hopes of spreading a message of social change to others.

About Free The Children
Free The Children is the world’s largest network of children helping children through education, with more than one million youth involved in innovative education and development programs in 45 countries. The organization has received the World’s Children’s Prize for the Rights of the Child (also known as the Children’s Nobel Prize) and the Human Rights Award from the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations.
Free The Children supports community development projects, specifically the construction of primary schools, in the communities of Gorana, Kuliyo Ki Bhagal, and Lai in rural Rajasthan. To date, Free The Children has provided local Indian community-based organizations funds to construct 32 schools throughout India.
The Directors of Change program is offered by Free The Children and the Nokia International Youth Foundation’s Global Youth Development Initiative.
All films can be viewed on the program’s website at: http://doc.freethechildren.com/film/doc
For more information about Free The Children, please visit:
www.freethechildren.com