Student-produced community videos share welcoming, inclusive messages
Less than two weeks after arriving in Bloomington from Turkey, graduate student Mustafa Aksu got lost walking around town.
Rather than simply give him directions, a stranger passing by walked with him to his destination.
It’s one of Aksu’s favorite memories of his new community, which he says is friendly and cultured.
Aksu’s story is one of three featured in a video created by Media School seniors Andrea Vega and Kelly Gomez in partnership with the Bloomington Refugee Support Network. “Safety and Friendship for Immigrants” is one of four student-produced videos created through Stories of Peace, a service project collaboration between The Media School and the City of Bloomington’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration Commission.
The annual initiative pairs four groups of students with four community nonprofits to tell positive stories about the Bloomington community. The students complete the projects during the city’s 40 Days of Peace, kicking off on Martin Luther King Jr. Day every year.
Vega, Gomez and the other Media School students will screen their completed projects at 6 p.m. Friday in the Franklin Hall commons.
This year’s community partners are Girl Scout Troop 02497, The Project School, College Internship Program and Bloomington Refugee Support Network.
“I really liked escaping from the IU Media School and expanding my experience with these nonprofits in Bloomington,” Vega said. “It (was) different to go outside and meet the people who run these organizations. It was rewarding.”
BRSN supports immigrants and refugees in Monroe County through accommodations, legal help, translators, clothing and friendship. The filmmakers’ goal for the video is to encourage more volunteers and make immigrants and refugees feel welcomed in the Bloomington community.
“It is so important to say, ‘You are here, and we are glad,’” said BRSN chairperson Diane Legomsky. “We want to be your home.”
The network, which began in April 2016, has 400 active members and 80 nongovernmental organization, university, faith and government partners.
The organization works to create a positive environment for new immigrants. In the video, the subjects tell the stories of how they ended up in Bloomington and describe the ways the community has supported them and why they love the city.
The two students brought different skill sets to the project. Vega, a journalism major, focused on interviewing and filming. Gomez, who studies cinema and media arts with a documentary specialization, handled the editing.
Participants and projects
Girl Scout Troop 02497
“Empowering Women and Girls in Bloomington”
Kenysha Davis
Jaeda Mason
Katherine Liu
Lydia Riley
The Project School
“Inaccessible is Unacceptable”
Naphtalia Ruth
Martha Manges
Hector Perez
College Internship Program
“Stigma and Equal Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities”
Bonnie Weinzapfel
Maggie Kassenbrock
Bloomington Refugee Support Network
“Safety and Friendship for Immigrants”
Andrea Vega
Kelly Gomez