Focus First
Engaging students in film, financial literacy, and parent resources is one of the most important factors in creating tomorrow's workforce in film industry. Focus First is a program that addresses this issue. Through hands-on classroom activities, mentoring, presentations, and behind-the-scenes field trips, students discover the world of film and production engineering. The ex-offenders/participants are then challenged to identify a problem or opportunity and make a film of the solution. Students present their film to their peers and community in a film educational summit. Focus First will be offered to (20-25) students from (reentry programs across Atlanta) as an (evening activity in the winter, spring, summer, and fall). Participants typically have their GED and that have expressed an interest in film program. Film Outreach Institute in Atlanta, Georgia provides alternative film outreach programs to empower the students in the art visual arts of film. The professional film program will provide secondary education, scholarships, online college course, film lectures, panels and job placement that prepare students for careers in the film industry. Film Outreach Goal to provide intellectual emotional, interpersonal growth for student and their families, through advocacy, education, mentoring and community outreach. Film Outreach offers community and culturally based film reach where individualized driven plans are developed. The programs are designed to meet the needs of the urban community to promote success, safety and performance in the home, school and community. Our volunteers work with a “whatever it takes” approach with students and families to create individualized plans that cover the entire range of life situations, including financial literacy, parent resources, education and family recreation all through filmmaking. Mentors are recruited from corporate, grassroots and faith-based community organizations throughout Georgia with diverse backgrounds representing local demographics.
Quick Facts:
- Focus of initiative/program:
-
- Children and Families
- Education
- Employment/Job Training
- Mental Health
- Mentoring
- Physical Health
- Substance Abuse
- Inititative/program name:
- Focus First
- Year Established:
- 2010
- Lead agency/organization name:
- Film Outreach Institute
- Population served by initiative/program:
-
- Returning from local detention facilities
- Returning from local jails
- Returning from prison
- Not under community corrections supervision
- Under community corrections supervision (parole or probation)
- Adults
- Juveniles
- Men
- Women
- People convicted of a violent offense
- People convicted of a non-violent offense
- Victims
- Gang members
- Elderly
- Tribal populations
Downloads
Focus First
Contact:
Abdur ShabazzAsst Director/ Founder
Film Outreach Institute
Phone: 404.285.9512
383 Maritta Street
Atlanta, Georgia 30030
bfiofri@gmail.com
www.filmoutreachinstitute.org
Focus First
Initiatives and Programs
- Focus of initiative/program:
-
- Children and Families
- Education
- Employment/Job Training
- Mental Health
- Mentoring
- Physical Health
- Substance Abuse
- Inititative/program name:
- Focus First
- Lead agency/organization name:
- Film Outreach Institute
- Funding sources for initiative/program:
- Fundraising
Funding
Partners in the reentry initiative/program
| Informal Agreement | Formal Agreement (e.g., a written contract or an MOU) with this partner. |
Participants
- Population served by initiative/program:
-
- Returning from local detention facilities
- Returning from local jails
- Returning from prison
- Not under community corrections supervision
- Under community corrections supervision (parole or probation)
- Adults
- Juveniles
- Men
- Women
- People convicted of a violent offense
- People convicted of a non-violent offense
- Victims
- Gang members
- Elderly
- Tribal populations
- Total number of people who have participated in initiative/program to date:
- 0
- Total number of people currently participating in initiative/program:
- 20
- Total number of people who can be served at one time:
- 20-45
Data Collection
- Does your organization collect demographic data on participants?
- Yes
- If "yes", what kind of data? And what results has this data yielded?
- Our program deals with visual arts reach on crime.
- Does your organization collect data about the process of your initiative/program?
- Yes
- If "yes", what kind of data? And what results has this data yielded?
- The development and reach on visual art and it relationship to crime will be the focus on the educational and reseach team.
- Does your organization measure and/or track the outcome of participation?
- Yes
- If "yes", what kind of data? And what results has this data yielded?
- Job training is the key to the Focus First program.
Activities
- What, if any, activities does your initiative/program include for people while they are incarcerated and how do these activities differ from those offered to the general population?
- Now
- What activities does your organization engage in post-release and how do these activities differ from those offered to the general population?
- Film secondary educational program as a reentry program.
- How are people placed into your program?
- Referral through other reentry programs