ITP graduate & director of the Changing Minds Program, Susan Finley, in association with Peter Barton, award-winning filmmaker and former film instructor at Tisch, are looking for a paid intern to assist with video post-production. Some familiarity with WordPress, social medial marketing and fundraising would be very helpful as well.
For over a decade, Susan has been integrating filmmaking into at-risk high schools as a tool for self-reflection and to enrich learning.
Inspired by scientific research coming out of Mind and Life Institute, she designed and conducted the Changing Minds Program in partnership with neuroscientists from Harvard Medical School (Dave Vago, PhD), Portland State University (Robert Roeser, Ph.D.) and Hunter College (Tracy Dennis, PhD).
The program strives to convince students – most of whom don’t believe that change for them is possible — about the vastly under-estimated potential of their mind to transform and flourish. The curriculum integrates the practice of mindfulness, along with the study of the latest scientific pedagogy behind it, into the school day. Additionally, the students both help to film the experience and (with Dr. Tracy Dennis) conduct a scientific study – of their classmates! – Comparing the effects of mindfulness training with that of a placebo group.
The pilot study we filmed at Concord High School in Staten Island proved that we can successfully integrate this three pronged approach that combines mindfulness practice, the study of contemplative science and filmmaking as a tool for self-reflection and social outreach into the school curriculum. Our film, which documents the program CHANGING MINDS AT CONCORD HIGH SCHOOL premiered at the Rubin Museum with a talkback with Congressman Tim Ryan and has been screened in film festivals and in high schools and colleges in the US and abroad. It was just screened at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and for 30 psychologists at the Boston Trauma Center
We’re currently working with W.E.B. DuBois High another transfer school in Brooklyn to refine, map and test our curriculum so that we can share it online with other schools.
You can read more about us at www.changingmindsprogram.
Please send a cover letter and resume to susanfinley@icloud.com. Online links to samples of your work are also welcome.