At times, Anthony sought out places of isolation so that no one would discover he was homeless.
The Dennos Museum Center at Northwestern Michigan College and WCMU present Community Cinema on March 12, 2015, at 7:00 p.m., FREE of charge. The program features a documentary film followed by discussion with community leaders and scholars. This month’s panelists include Abby Jordan from the Student in Transition Empowerment Program (STEP – http://www.tcaps.net/programs/step/), and Courtney Russell and Elizabeth Black with Third Level Crisis Intervention Center (http://www.thirdlevel.org/). Visit http://www.dennosmuseum.org/events/community-cinema.html for the full schedule. This film is screened as part of local Embrace the Dream programming. embracethedream.org
The Homestretch (55 minutes)
The Homestretch follows three homeless teens as they fight to stay in school, graduate, and build a future. Each of these smart, ambitious youths — Roque, Kasey, and Anthony — will surprise, inspire, and challenge audiences to rethink stereotypes of homelessness as they work to complete their education while facing the trauma of being alone and abandoned at an early age. While told through a personal perspective, their stories connect with larger issues of poverty, race, juvenile justice, immigration, foster care, and LGBTQ rights.
With unprecedented access into Chicago public schools, The Night Ministry “Crib” emergency youth shelter, and Teen Living Programs’ Belfort House, The Homestretch follows these kids as they move through the milestones of high school while navigating a landscape of couch hopping, emergency shelters, transitional homes, street families, and a school system on the front lines of the homelessness crisis. The Homestretch examines the struggles these youth face in obtaining a high school level education, and then follows them beyond graduation to focus on the crucial transition when the structure of school vanishes, and homeless youth often struggle to find the support and community they need to survive and be independent. A powerful, original perspective on what it means to be young and homeless in America today, while building a future.
Community Cinema is an outreach project of CMU Public Television and the Dennos Museum Center. Screening events are part of the ITVS (Independent Television Service) Community Cinema program. For more on the Independent Cinema series, including upcoming dates and films, visit WCMU.org/TV.
Films are screened with captions. Milliken Auditorium now features a T-coil hearing loop for those with hearing impairments. Additional arrangements for a sign language interpreter can be made by contacting Linda Dielman at dielm1lk@cmich.edu or (989)774-3562.
Interested in being a panel member for discussion? Contact Jason Dake, Curator of Education, at jdake@nmc.edu.
The Dennos Museum Center is open daily 10 AM to 5 PM, Thursdays until 8 PM, and Sundays 1-5 PM. For information on the Museum and its programs, go to www.dennosmuseum.org or call 231-995-1055. The Dennos Museum Center is located at 1410 College Dr., Traverse City, MI 49686, at the entrance to the campus of Northwestern Michigan College.