Film - A Way to Connect

Film is an important tool that we use in our program to connect with our students and market our program to potential partners. Here are some of the ways we use film in our program:

First Step Short Film
At the all-day orientation of a new class, which is the first time the entire class is together, we watch a five minute film about First Step. This film chronicles the experiences of one graduate throughout the program. After the viewing, the students discuss the film and many share their difficult stories. There are laughs and tears.......which lead to hugs and cheers. The students visually see what lies ahead, hear an inspiring story, begin to bond with each other, become a team and form a support system for each other. It also allows the social service staff and other team members to get a sense of where each client is at so we can better serve them.

We also utilize this film in our outreach to potential partners (i.e., companies, law firms, nonprofits, foundations and individuals) in order to further expand the resources of the program, including funding, job placement, internships, corporate days, donations and volunteers. It's an additional tool that allows these potential partners to get a good feel for the program and what we do. A PowerPoint presentation is fine, but through the medium of film our potential partners begin to become part of the program through the stories of our remarkable women.

Freedom Writers
One important aspect of First Step is literacy. We have no education requirements for admitting new students, and usually at least a third of the class do not have their high school diploma or GED. (Looking for a job right now is difficult for someone with an MBA and experience at a financial firm. Imagine if you don't even have your GED. It's nearly impossible). One of the workshops we provide to our students is a literacy workshop that is led by our volunteer Ellen B., a retired teacher. She meets with the students once a week for two and a half hours during the first five weeks of the program. In the first two sessions, the students watch the film Freedom Writers, write about it and discuss it. One of the main goals of the literacy workshops is to get the students excited about reading and writing. The film is an exceptional tool to achieve that goal and it makes the workshops even more interesting and engaging.

I highly recommend incorporating film into your work product. Whether you're a program director, development director or executive director, this multi-media tool can be an effective way to connect with your clients, obtain new funding sources and expand your resources.

Rich Lombino, Esq.
Director - First Step Program