Invisible Children (DVD, 2003) What happens when a trio of young, self-proclaimed filmmakers set out to Africa to ‘find a story’?  The result for Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey and Laren Poole (then 24, 21, and 20) was lives forever changed. In Northern Uganda, they came face to face with a humanitarian crisis.

Thousands of children live in fear of abduction by rebel soldiers who force them to fight as part of a violent army. To avoid abduction, these children commute nightly to the city sleeping wherever they can find shelter. Upon returning home, these young men shared the story of the children they met through their documentary - Invisible Children: rough cut (http://www.invisiblechildren.com/home.php). The documentary has been widely screened by volunteers to bring this tragic story to light. They are currently working on a feature film, tentatively scheduled to release in theaters in 2009.

Creating awareness of this almost invisible crisis was not enough for them, however.  They also founded a nonprofit - Invisible Children, Inc. Through their Bracelet Campaign, which creates economic opportunities for people in northern Uganda's IDP (Internally Displaced Peoples) camps, and the scholarship program, which awards scholarships to promising students in war-affected communities, they invite others to join them in making a difference in the lives of the people who touched their hearts so deeply.  They also extend a special invitation to young people to help improve Ugandan schools from the ground up. Schools for Schools invites young people to set up Schools for Schools clubs in their schools to raise funds for the improvement of Ugandan schools. In only 100 days, 580 schools came together and raised more than $1.2 million for schools in Gulu. That’s $1.2 million dollars from bake sales, car washes, walkathons, and the occasional dance-off. Dormitories are now being built, new foundations are being poured, wells are being drilled, windows are being put in, desks are being added, and teachers are being trained for Invisible Children’s ten partner schools, which were devastated by the war in the North.  Visit Schools for Schools to discover how your school can partner with schools in Uganda to help bring quality secondary education to the children of northern Uganda. For a quick overview of the work of Invisible Children, Inc., visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOrzBOauLyo. 

Use the documentary and the subsequent story of these young filmmakers to inform your community about the plight of the people in Northern Uganda and to show your students how young people can make a difference in the world.