WINTER 2011
N E W S F O R S U P P O R T E R S O F P L E A S E T O U C H M U S E U M ® AT M E M O R I A L H A L L
Lights, Camera, ACES!
SPRING 2010
On Tuesday, October 25, we hosted our first-ever film premiere at the Museum. The students in our Achievement through Community Service, Education, and Skill-building (ACES) program collaborated with Lil’ Filmmakers to create a public service announcement. The premiere event was attended by the ACES students, their families, Please Touch Museum staff, and R. Andrew Swinney, President of the Philadelphia Foundation, a supporter of the ACES program.
NEWS FOR SUPPORTERS OF PLEASE
ACES with Andrew Swinney; Caption: The ACES Students with Youth Programs Manager Jamella Flamer, Janine from Lil’ Filmmakers, and R. Andrew Swinney, President of the Philadelphia Foundation
Inside this issue: • The 2011 Great Friend to Kids Awards • The Return of the Enchanted Colonial Village • All Aboard for Railway Play • Counting Down to Countdown to Noon™ 4 23 1 Aven u e of th e Rep ub l i c P hi l ad el p hi a, PA 19131
ACES is Please Touch Museum’s year-round, work-based learning and mentoring program for youth from Philadelphia high schools. Each year, 14 students participate in group projects, host guest speakers, receive academic support and college preparation, and, each summer, mentor at Please Touch this T Owork U Cwith H aMstaff US EUM ® AT MMuseum. E M O RForI A Lproject, H A Lthe L students were asked to choose a subject for which they would create a short film; they chose to make their film about flash mobs and youth violence. Janine from Lil’ Filmmakers worked with the ACES for two hours, twice a week this past summer. Once they had their idea, they were responsible for every aspect of the film: writing, acting, directing, editing, and even the lighting and sound engineering. Over the course of six weeks, all 14 students worked collaboratively and cooperatively as they learned the technical aspects of filmmaking under Janine’s guidance. In the film, the ACES students express their opinions about teen violence with great intelligence and candor. Teens today face important and character-shaping moral choices every day, and the ACES serve as a model of the responsible and considerate citizens we hope all our children will grow to become. They show a mature understanding of the issues that youth face and a commitment to making the right decisions for themselves and their communities. The ACES advocate taking responsibility for one’s own actions, not following the destructive example set by just a few individuals. The film may be viewed on the Museum’s YouTube channel, at: http://www.youtube.com/pleasetouchmuseum We would like to thank the ACES students for all their hard work, Janine from Lil’ Filmmakers, and R. Andrew Swinney and the Philadelphia Foundation for their commitment to the ACES program.
“Enriching the lives of children by creating learning opportunities through play.”