A partnership between the Media Arts Center San Diego and San Diego Second Chance, Emerging Makers is a media arts outreach and education program for youth transitioning from the juvenile justice system. Students participate in weekly filmmaker-led workshops and produce films exploring the criminal justice system, restorative justice practices, and their community from a youth perspective.

The partnership between Media Arts Center San Diego and San Diego Second Chance Program started in 2013, when MACSD filmmakers working on the “Land & Freedom: Talking Food Systems” documentary video series collaborated with SDSCP’s Youth Garden, a program providing job readiness skills and a financial stipend to justice-involved youth.

In this film series, youth from the garden program spoke candidly about their experiences with food and health growing up in low-income neighborhoods in Southeastern San Diego. The short film featuring the garden program amplified youth voices, screening in multiple cities across the country and locally at film festivals. Films produced by Emerging Makers continue to be presented to guests of MACSD’s Digital Gym Cinema, the San Diego Latino Film Festival, and in multiple cities across the country.

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