Actors Tiffany Haddish & Monti Washington join as guest speakers to support foster & former foster youth who are a vulnerable population, especially during the holiday season. Special appearance by Screenwriter Jay Paul Deratany (“Foster Boy”).
LOS ANGELES, CA, December 09, 2020 /Neptune100/ — Better Youth and The RightWay Foundation have joined together to galvanize a global village of Foster and Former Foster Youth — a very vulnerable population, especially during the holiday season. Filmmaker Syd Stewart, Founder/Executive Director of Better Youth, Inc., and Filmmaker Johna Rivers, Co-Founder of Real to Reel Global, are proud to announce the annual Real To Reel Global Holiday Giveaway and Private Film Screening of “Foster Boy.” The virtual program, in collaboration with Amazon BEN and Skydance Media, will benefit over 100 foster and former foster youth and take place on Saturday, December 19th from 4:00 pm – 7:45 pm (PST) on Zoom. This year’s event has a theme of ‘We Got Your Back’, around which event organizers have rallied together to support youth in care.
In the times of COVID-19, this virtual event will have the unique opportunity to impact foster and former foster youth all over the world – locally, nationally and globally. An online panel discussion will host a conversation featuring celebrity guests and foster youth speakers. This year’s celebrity guests include Actress Tiffany Haddish (Paramount Pictures “Like A Boss”), Actor Monti Washington (Tyler Perry’s “Bruh”) and Screenwriter Jay Paul Deratany (“Foster Boy”). Other invited guests include Franco Vega (Founder and CEO of The RightWay Foundation). Better Youth strategic collaborators include AT&T, Skydance Media and Amazon BEN. The giveaway and film screening of “Foster Boy” will take place immediately after virtual conversation.
This year’s participating entities include long-term program supporter AT&T who is committed to advancing education, strengthening communities and improving lives. Better Youth’s new strategic partner, Skydance Media who is a diversified media company that creates high-quality, event-level entertainment for global audiences and brings to life stories with immersive worlds across its feature film, interactive and animation divisions. Amazon BEN (Black Employee Network – Irvine) donated funds to support this year’s event and will participate in a Better Youth career readiness exploration roundtable in January 2021 during national mentoring month.
Better Youth’s mission is to validate young people by developing life skills through mentoring and media arts training. Their vision is to activate a community of foster, former foster, homeless and low-income youth (ages 14-24) who are equipped for personal and professional success. Their flagship training program “Better Crew,” is a professional development certification program where youth are trained on media arts curriculum including filmmaking, creative writing, editing, lighting, and sound design. Graduates of “Better Crew” become interns for “Real To Reel Global,” a social and creative service platform that provides career resources and internship opportunities. For more info visit BetterYouth.org.
The RightWay Foundation offers both mental health, employment services and produces workshops to teach current or emancipated foster youth (ages 18-25) the skills they need to be independent and functioning members of society. Their proprietary training program, “Operation Emancipation,” teaches interview skills, how to create a resume, how to keep a job, financial literacy and how to foster healthy relationships. For more info visit TheRightWayFoundation.org.
This annual collaborative event is being hosted and produced by a cohort of former foster youth and supporting mentors who want to make a difference in their local and global community. This event is private and invitations are extended to current or former foster youth (verifiable by a foster youth serving organization) and community allies via this RSVP link: https://holidaygiveaway.eventbrite.com
WAYS TO SUPPORT:
SPONSORSHIP:
We are seeking monetary funds to support organizational support. To donate please visit: https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/holidaygiveaway
For more information, please contact Syd Stewart at [email protected] or Franco Vega at [email protected]
About The Better Youth Organization
Better Youth is a creative youth development agency for urban youth ages 14-24. Their mission is to transform young people by validating technical skills through media arts training and mentoring. The youth who participate in the program face challenges such as incarceration, gang violence, and abuse. Better Youth is committed to developing urban youth by bridging the digital and diversity divide by fostering life skills, character development, creativity, a desire for leadership, advocacy and civic engagement. The goal is to positively impact a constituency of youth who grow up in impoverished homes and to create a trajectory for personal and professional success. For more information about Better Youth, visit www.betteryouth.org
