We just lately engaged in a sequence of considerate e-mail exchanges with the management of Ladies’ Voices Now (GVN), a proud grantee of California Humanities California Documentary Initiatives Grants. For over seven years, GVN has reshaped narratives by empowering younger ladies from under-resourced communities to inform their very own tales by means of filmmaking. On this unique e-mail Q&A, we discover the mission, impression, and way forward for GVN, alongside the transformative experiences of its contributors.
Electronic mail Q: What’s the mission of Ladies’ Voices Now, and the way does it empower younger storytellers?
GVN Management:
“At Ladies’ Voices Now, our mission is to construct confidence and foster inclusion by addressing a crucial want inside under-resourced communities. We empower younger ladies by means of filmmaking—offering a platform the place inventive expression turns into a device for private, educational, {and professional} improvement. Lots of the communities we serve lack secure areas for ladies to share their tales. Our program is designed to fill that hole, equipping these future changemakers with the abilities and confidence to advocate for themselves and their communities. Finally, we goal to nurture the following era of activists, storytellers, and leaders.”
Electronic mail Q: What impression have you ever seen this system have on contributors?
GVN Management:
“Over the previous seven years, we’ve witnessed each qualitative and quantitative transformations. After our 2024 summer season program, our contributors reported dramatic enhancements of their abilities and self-confidence. As an illustration, 70% of them felt very comfy with public talking after this system, in comparison with simply 10% beforehand. Equally, 90% reported feeling comfy main group initiatives (up from 30%), whereas 80% felt considerably extra assured in themselves (a leap from 20%). Remarkably, 90% of the ladies felt very assured of their digital camera abilities post-program, despite the fact that solely 30% had prior expertise. These numbers underscore the profound impression our program has on shaping their educational {and professional} futures.”
Electronic mail Q: How do you see storytelling and the humanities shaping younger voices at the moment?
GVN Management:
“In at the moment’s digital age, storytelling is extra crucial than ever. Lots of our movies delve into well timed points just like the impression of social media on youth—offering multimedia major sources that enrich cultural research within the twenty first century. Rising analysis signifies that social media impacts younger ladies extra profoundly than younger males. Our movies—equivalent to The Magnificence in Being Completely different (2023, nominated for a Youngsters’s and Household Emmy), The Reflection on My Display screen (2021), and Phrases I Can’t Overlook (2024)—provide intimate insights into points like colorism inside communities of colour and the pervasive affect of mainstream tradition. By partaking with these subjects, our contributors not solely hone their technical abilities but in addition grow to be a part of a broader dialog about identification, illustration, and inclusion.”
Electronic mail Q: What’s subsequent for Ladies’ Voices Now? Are there any thrilling updates or upcoming initiatives?
GVN Management:
“We’re thrilled to announce that we at the moment are accepting functions for our 2025 Ladies’ Voices Now program. The upcoming cycle will kick off with a 4-week summer season intensive coaching—from July 7, 2025, to August 1, 2025—designed for as much as 15 contributors, operating weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Past this immersive summer season expertise, we’re planning two public premiere screenings within the fall of 2025 to showcase the transformative movies our contributors create. Moreover, we’re increasing our year-round programming, which presently serves over 100 ladies and their households. These initiatives embrace monetary wellness workshops, help for coming into movies into festivals nationwide, and public talking alternatives by means of our prolonged Girls’s Voices Now community.”
Electronic mail Q: And at last, what did collaborating in Ladies’ Voices Now imply to you?
Erin De La Cruz, 2024 GVN Cohort:
“This program has helped me discover my voice and be assured in it. I discovered the right way to be comfy speaking to new individuals, and it taught me the right way to talk about tough subjects that I really feel strongly about.”
Though our dialog befell over e-mail, the management’s passionate responses vividly illustrate the transformative energy of Ladies’ Voices Now. This system isn’t merely about educating filmmaking—it’s about reshaping futures, amplifying voices, and difficult conventional narratives. By initiatives like these, California Humanities continues to have a good time the varied tales that make California a vibrant tapestry of tradition and innovation.
