Rhode Island: GiveMe5

High school students coach middle school filmmakers during a GiveMe5 Film Making Lab. Photo courtesy of Maggie Anderson

An interagency collaboration in the Ocean State supports a multifaceted approach to media arts education that foregrounds experiential learning, public presentation and dialogue with creative industry professionals. GiveMe5, sponsored by the Rhode Island Film and Television Office in conjunction with the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA), is open to students in grades 6-12 from across the state. The program’s day-long Film Making Labs challenge students to work in teams with a film educator coach to brainstorm, storyboard, shoot and edit a minute-long film. The GiveMe5 Teen Film Festival, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in May, is the program’s annual showcase of other short films independently created and produced by high school students. The festival concludes with a panel discussion moderated by film industry representatives that enables participating students to share and receive constructive feedback on their work. To extend its reach into classrooms, GiveMe5 arranges a semiannual workshop for media educators and other teachers that facilitates technical assistance and peer-to-peer brainstorming. The program’s website features a number of free resources for schools. For more information, contact RISCA Arts in Education Director Maggie Anderson.