Two invaluable resources in life are our kids and our environment. It is a fundamental fact that health of the environment is essential to our health. The aim of the Ecovid Program is to reciprocate this relationship by imbuing kids with knowledge, a sense of efficacy, and enthusiasm for their “outdoor home”. This in turn promotes a sense of community and ultimately affects the health of their environment. Further, by encouraging kids to discover their own motivation for involvement in their community, it is more likely that residual effects from the program will be longstanding and not transient.

Inspiring motivation involves relating, mentoring, knowledge, and skill development. Specifically, the Ecovid Program addresses these components with a five-phase plan that culminates in a blog: a one to five minute video, posted on the Ecovid website for sharing. The internet is second nature to kids today – what better means to capture their interest? Instruction and production takes five days.

The founders of this program have an extensive background in environmental work as well as in the film industry. They, along with a talent bank of education, film, and computer professionals are responsible for implementing and mentoring the five-phase program.

• Phase 1 : Research and select an environmentally relevant topic in their neighborhood. The children first discuss, debate, and choose a topic that will provide the substance of the subsequent video. The kids will select jobs that fit their interests and strengths.
• Phase 2 : Script Development & Camera Work. Participants learn keys to artistic development of a script and cinematography.
• Phase 3 : Production. Mentors lead the participants through making the video: photography, lighting, audio engineering, set decoration, acting, costuming, hair and makeup.
• Phase 4 : Editing, Titles, and Music Selection. Mentors assist the kids cut out extraneous material and emphasize their message.
• Phase 5 : Post-production. Mentors will provide access and show kids how to post their video on an individual Ecovid website blog page.

In addition to conducting the program, mentors will create a how-to manual for use in subsequent programs by other trained and motivated individuals.

Ecovids promises to be an effective and involved program. It can work . . . and work well. Two pieces of evidence support this statement: the mentors involved and the success of a similar program. First point of evidence:

Mary Angle serves as the Producer; she is an expert in organizing environmental activism. Having worked for more than 17 years as a State Park Ranger, nine years at Save-the-Redwoods League as first Assistant Secretary then Secretary & Executive Director, and as the first Executive Officer of an innovative California State agency to create open space in the most densely populated urban area of the U.S., she continues to work on current environmental issues. Peter Brown serves as the Director and Cinematographer. Mr. Brown's resume includes extensive creative involvement in the film industry and activism in protecting our oceans. He also created the award winning “POPS” - Power Of Positive Students television series. This leads to the second point of evidence:

From 1987 to 1994, Norman Vincent Peale and Positive Communications Inc. funded the children’s television series called “POPS” - Power Of Positive Students that engaged kids in real life experiences. The series won a Golden Apple and a Bronze Apple Award from the National Education Association, an ABC Educational Clio, and the Video Award at the Houston Film Festival. Peter Brown was the Producer, Director, and Cinematographer for this series.

Through a combination of experiences in the film industry and the environment, we envision that participants will use the Ecovid program repeatedly and its use will multiply to others once introduced into a community. This is exactly what happened in the schools that participated in the POPS program. Peter conducted POPS in schools across the United States. Ecovids can be conducted anywhere in the world where environmental degradation and communities coexist.

Benefits to the children, the community and environment, feasibility, substantive support are all there. Now, we need financial backing. The estimated cost to run this program for one year of twenty programs is $358,000 or $15,000 for a single program (a budget detail is available on request).

This program is a great opportunity for a financially successful individual or foundation seeking a signature program to help children develop skills that will not dissipate when the project ends. Not only do we aim to teach applied skills that carry through to the child’s adult life, we also aim to instill an awareness and proactive commitment to a sense of community and environmental issues.