Girls Write Now Mentees Attend Athena Film Fest at Barnard College
On Sunday, March 3rd, mentees, mentors, and staff at Girls Write Now had the pleasure of attending the Athena Film Festival at Barnard College. Through this delightful partnership facilitated by Avi Edelman, the Festival Relations and Communications Manager, mentees and mentors got the opportunity to engage with other students, creatives, and activists.
“Engaging Youth Voices In Our Democracy,” an interactive brunch and conversation with high school, college, and young professional leaders, allowed attendants to connect with likeminded people actively working to change the world with their hope and their stories. Afterwards, members from our community viewed a variety of short films about intergenerational connections, familial resilience, women empowerment and healing, and vulnerability with the ones we love. Attendants got to hear from the creators behind films like, “In the End We’re All Music,” directed by Katharina Schnekenbühl and “Hex the Patriarchy,” directed by Anne Brashier. The afternoon ended with an inspiring panel comprised of Barnard students and alum spanning from filmmakers to gendered healthcare justice activists.
As we settle more comfortably into our new model of the Collaboratory, partnerships like these that support the work we are doing are crucial. Script 360, one of the learning journey’s led by Community Coordinator Sally Familia, is working to provide educational and professional resources like these to the mentees with the goal to create within the field of their dreams. Our partnership with the Athena Film Festival proves that when communities with a shared vision come together, the influence our actions make are that much more powerful.