Each year Jamie’s Joy focuses on one of his enduring qualities and then picks a few out of the many deserving agencies that fit that life affirming criteria of providing Love, Joy, Peace or Connection to our local and national children.
This year the fund is focusing on Jamie’s quality of Connection. We are focused on programs which help San Diego’s at risk teens complete high school despite the odds against them & encourage their continued education into college or trade schools. There are many wonderful programs in our region that focus on that purpose making it difficult to pick just one so we choose two.
The first of the two is housed in the most unlikely of places, The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office. They are host to the Youth Advisory Board. The program called “4 or 40” is based on the Emmy-winning short film centered on the hard life choices made daily by teens.
The idea of “4 or 40” was conceived by the San Diego District Attorney’s Youth Advisory Board, made up of Lincoln High students. The title is based on the concept of choosing wisely during four years of high school or risking 40 years of struggles and hardships. The students crafted the film’s story, helped during film shoots and offered input during every step of the film’s production. The film was written, videotaped and edited by a local film production company while graphic designers contributed to its branding. The Youth Advisory Board will be visiting classrooms and organizations throughout San Diego County to screen the film, talk about its production and speak on its positive message. The film has been honored with a 2010 National Association of Counties Achievement Award and National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Emmy Award. 4 or 40 Film links
The second Jamie’s Joy recipient targets the refugee community of the Somali-Bantu, a minority culture within the Somali community in San Diego. They have both a mentoring program to help our children break the cycle of poverty through education as well as a soccer team allowing the youth to acculturate into the boarder community through team sports. For more information on the services offered by this grassroots organization, visit them at their website www.sbaoa.org
Make Joyful Noise event 2013