AHHAH Restorative Justice 2023 Filmmaking Team Photograph by Lee Boyer
Arts Holding Hands and Hearts (AHHAH) is proud and honored to receive a $10,000 grant from the Foxwynd Foundation in support of AHHAH’s Restorative Justice Filmmaking program. The Foxwynd Foundation is a private foundation dedicated to uplifting communities by offering grants to healthcare, housing, and environmental sustainability initiatives. Its mission is to serve as a lifeline to communities in need by enhancing access to key pillars of human dignity.
AHHAH seeks to reduce the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and promote restorative justice in Chester County communities through literacy, mindfulness, and the arts. Participants in AHHAH’s Restorative Justice programs learn they have an impactful and unique voice and agency through artistic instruction and expression. By participating with others in our programs, students practice team building, act with empathy, and discover how to cultivate caring communities. Learning practical skills also increases the likelihood of further education and meaningful employment and reduces rates of recidivism.
But affecting youth on an individual basis is only the beginning of our work. In presenting the work of our youth participants to the public, and by extension showcasing their goals, aspirations, and visions for their future, we work to open dialogue about the impact of the current juvenile justice system and to, as a community, become advocates to transform the system for children of poverty and children of color.
By connecting faces, personalities, and talents with the youth carceral system, we change the perception of the community on these at-risk kids that need a helping hand, not a push into the system. When the perceptions of residents and community leaders are adjusted, real change can come in the form of practice and policy.
The grant, in the generous amount of $10,000, is being distributed through the Foxwynd Foundation Donor Advised Fund (DAF). Funds will be used to support AHHAH’s Restorative Justice Filmmaking Program, which offers local youth in the Juvenile Justice system a unique opportunity to delve into the world of filmmaking. Led by experienced professionals from the community, participants will learn the fundamentals of film production, including interviewing techniques, lighting essentials, still photography, sound recording, and more. By the end of the program, students will have the skills and confidence to create and take part in a short documentary called Invisible No More, which will be shared with the community through public screenings and Restorative Justice circles for discussion and reflection.
A trailer for the film premiered in June 2024 at the Uptown Knauer Performing Arts Center in West Chester. It will be screened at AHHAH’s first Restorative Justice Circle community event on November 7 from 6:00 to 7:00 PM at Coatesville City Hall, 1 City Hall Place, followed by community dialogue.
AHHAH is grateful to the Foxwynd Foundation for their partnership and commitment to the cause of Restorative Justice.
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