Make a dent in the arts. That’s what this town and its progressive-minded denizens are all about, especially Nora Clow. Three years ago, the local launched Visionary Arts & Media, an innovative program geared to help high school students make films with a social consciousness. Operating with a small staff, the non-profit works like this: UC Santa Cruz mentors (film and community studies students) come into the classrooms at Aptos, Watsonville and San Lorenzo Valley High Schools to teach designated students (who already know the A, B, C’s of filmmaking), how to construct a documentary. “[We’re] helping youth get their voices heard … and see how they can make a difference in the world,” Clow says. “The mentors meet with them a few hours a week. A lot of their role is guiding the students.” The students’ films will be featured in this year’s Santa Cruz Film Festival under the title, “Youth Empowering Youth.” The seven short movies (created by about 30 high school students and assisted by 12 mentors) will play at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 17 at the Rio Theatre. Included in the line-up is the film, Act of Violence about gang violence in Santa Cruz County; The Silent Killer about the high instance of type II diabetes in the Latino community; A New Beginning, about the rise of ‘green’ businesses, and iGeneration, a film that talks about youth and technology. “I think it (Visionary Arts & Media) helps them realize their voices do matter and they get to really have a larger vision of community and how they can be part of creating solutions for a lot of issues going on,” Clow says. “We usually get a few hundred people (at the SCFF screenings), and a lot of positive feedback.” Sure, the films are ‘student’ movies, but Clow reassures audiences that her program brings in professionals to assist on the technical side of things. With Visionary Arts & Media, young filmmakers have a chance to tiptoe into the filmmaking world. With an industry that’s cutthroat to break into, Clow’s program gives these students an advantage. Not only do they hone their filmmaking skills, but also, they get a chance to see the impact that their films have on their community—and beyond. Students from the Visionary Arts & Media program will have their films featured in the Santa Cruz Film Festival during the Youth Empowering Youth segment at 4:30 on Saturday, May 17 at the Rio Theatre. For more information, visit santacruzfilmfestival.com or visartsmedia.org . | 
