Acting for change: the girls of Jump Start Girls! Adelante Niñas! produce a short film on social justice

by Alex Desautels Elementary Program Leader Jump Start Girls! Adelante Niñas!

On a recent Tuesday afternoon in Long Branch, a group of excited girls gathered in front of a rolling camera with SEIU organizer Maria Naranjo and chanted, "¡Sí se puede! ¡Sí se puede!"

No, this wasn't a real union rally–this was the creative effort of the elementary school participants of Jump Start Girls! Adelante Niñas!, a program is designed to support young girls in their personal and academic lives, and empower them to create change in their communities. Jump Start Girls! Adelante Niñas! is the main program of Community Bridges, a Silver Spring nonprofit organization.

Building on the work they had done studying conflict resolution, the girls staged the rally as part of their culminating project: a film of two plays intended to educate their peers about the strength and importance of women. But as the girls flexed their arms and shouted at the rally, it became clear that the message they intended to deliver–that girls and women are powerful and deserve respect–had made them feel powerful as well.

The girls were divided into two groups to create the plays. They spent several months learning about women's struggle for equality, how art can be used to create social change, and how to write plays.

The result of their efforts is impressive. One group's play is about the 1960s bus boycotts started by Rosa Parks in Montgomery, Alabama, and the other play highlights the work done by women in the "Justice for Janitors" union campaign for fair treatment of janitorial workers–many of whom are women and immigrants.

The girls were guided by guest director Diana Fooksman, a National Player with the Olney Theatre.

As the authors, both groups of girls chose a unique way to honor the women in their plays. They concentrated not on the work of the women, but on the young people influenced by the women's leadership. The girls who presented the story of the Alabama bus boycotts acted as a youth group motivated by Rosa Parks to support the struggle for equal rights, and the girls dramatizing the "Justice for Janitors" campaign acted as the daughters of a female janitor who were inspired by their mother's involvement in the struggle to take action, and to rally their friends as well.

"This is what Community Bridges means by leadership," said Executive Director Meagan Labriola. "The girls were active leaders in all aspects of the film's creation, including plot and character development, script writing, set and costume planning, promotion, and acting. The film is a major accomplishment, and all of the girls should be very proud."

The girls spent a week filming the production, and upon its completion, each girl received a copy.

The film is also being shown to audiences in the community. It was screened to their peers at their school and at a senior citizens' home, and parents and Community Bridges board members viewed the film at the Jump Start Girls! Adelante Niñas! year-end Spring Celebration.

Many thanks to the Gary Rosenthal Collection for funding this project.

Are you an artist? Writer? Dancer? Drummer? Come inspire the young women of Jump Start Girls! Adelante Niñas! Please call 301-585-7155 for information on volunteering and other ways to support Community Bridges.