Amount Requested: $50,000
Talking Walls is a summer program for at-risk youth that consists of workshops in self-exploration, creative expression, media arts and literacy, community membership and the production of a series of documentary pieces for television. Children's Media Project (CMP) has been teaching media arts skills as part of a mentoring, job training, and youth development program for fifteen years. Recently, there were shootings literally outside the doors of the youth center in broad daylight. Poughkeepsie School District drastically cut after-school programs, and youth agencies throughout the city are struggling. Most recently, the Dutchess YMCA closed its doors.

The requested funds will be used to expand the programs and objectives of the initiative that teach at-risk kids media skills and assist them in expressing themselves through various media-related outlets.