Announcements. (updated 3/27/09)
On
March 22, 2009 FYI premiered two short narrative films written,
directed, and performed by youth from HYCF at Arts at Marks Garage.
In the News.
FYI works with 12 teens inside Hawai'i Youth Correctional Facility (HYCF):
If you would like to read more about our time in Hawai'i and our first Co-Ed Workshop
Please click on the following links.
What we do.
 Films by Youth Inside (FYI) is an ongoing program that provides educational and creative options to incarcerated youth. Program participants learn the basics of screenwriting and filmmaking from film industry professionals and create short films expressive of their own life experiences. The filmmaking process helps participants gain perspective on their lives and their actions, while imparting valuable work and life skills. Just as important, the films themselves provide a variety of audiences insight into the cultural and societal currents that may give rise to youth violence.
A fresh approach to a longstanding issue.
For decades, Los Angeles County has been in the grip of a gang and youth crime epidemic. According to CAL/GANG, a statewide database maintained by the California Department of Justice, Los Angeles County is home to 1,108 gangs with 85,298 members. The influence of gang culture on communities and individual is inescapable. At any given time, approximately 5,000 young people between the ages of 14 and 20 are in Los Angeles County correctional facilities (source: Los Angeles County Department of Corrections).
 These are, in many respects, children who have already been left behind. Los Angeles' poorly performing school system and shortage of organized cultural and recreational programs have had lasting effects on young people. Job prospects are bleak. The effects of these societal problems are often compounded by shattered families and entrenched poverty.
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