A BRIDGE TO THE FUTURE
Campaign for 21st Century Education
When we opened the Jacob Burns
Film Center in 2001, we envisioned a community where creativity
would be celebrated, where a world of concepts and cultures could
be explored, and where film would be used as a tool to educate
and empower. In five years, we've built that community, and more. Now,
we are ready for our next bold step.
In a world dominated by digital technology and visual text, it is
vital to equip all students with the skills to communicate effectively.
They must grow up knowing how to interpret the visual messages with
which they are constantly bombarded, and as importantly, they must
know how to express themselves in this medium. While simple, this
idea has yet to reach the vast majority of classrooms across the
country. Nearly 50,000 students in grades 3-12 have participated
in our innovative education programs. As more and more teachers become
involved in our creative approach to education, calls for our groundbreaking
initiatives continue to grow. This insatiable demand, along
with our firm belief in the power of film, propelled the launch of
the Campaign for 21st Century Education.
The Media and Education
Center has been designed by Kaeyer, Garment & Davidson Architects,
PC (KG&D). An award-winning
planning and design firm, KG&D specializes in educational
facilities. KG&D’s recent projects include Seven Bridges
Middle School, Chappaqua; Bedford Road School, Pleasantville; and
John Jay High School, Cross River.
A major component
of the campaign is the Media and Education Center, a new building
that is now coming to life just down the street from the Jacob Burns
Film Center. With a fully equipped soundstage, workshop space, classrooms,
editing suites, and animation studios, the Media and Education Center
will house an array of programs for children and adults and provide
us with a venue to further develop a new model of education. Slated
to open in June 2008, the Media and Education Center will be the
heart of a global campus. The programs developed there will be disseminated
to schools, after-school programs, and community centers, making
our revolutionary approach to education available across the nation
and around the world.
The Campaign for 21st Century Education encompasses
a goal of $20 million to build the Media and Education Center, expand
program and curriculum development, and establish an endowment. Thanks to the
JBFC Board of Directors and lead donors, we are more than 75% of
the way to reaching our goal. We require broad financial support
to successfully complete every essential component of the campaign.
The success of this campaign will be the result of thousands of individuals
at all financial levels who share our vision for the future.
Six short years ago, so many committed individuals joined together
to make the dream of the JBFC a reality. Please join us now as we
embrace an exciting future. Together we can create a model for 21st
century education and shape the future of learning.
The Kresge Foundation Challenge Grant
The Jacob Burns Film Center has received a prestigious and highly competitive challenge grant of $750,000 from The Kresge Foundation. Since we have made great progress towards reaching our goal, our deadline for the Kresge Challenge has been extended to June 30, 2008. All campaign gifts received by this date can help satisfy this challenge grant. Please join us!
Contact:
Judy Exton
Development Director
Jacob Burns Film Center
39 Washington Avenue
Pleasantville, New York 10570
914-773-7663, ext. 14
jexton@burnsfilmcenter.org
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