INDIANAPOLIS — A mentorship program is keeping kids off the streets this summer and teaching them some valuable skills. "Shoot Cameras Not Guns" is a new program in which children create an entire movie from start to finish.
"Instead of picking up a gun, pick up a camera. Show your truth, show who you are and dominate it," says DeAndra Dycus, who created the program with her husband, Eric.
DeAndra is the executive director at Purpose 4 My Pain, a non-profit dedicated to raising the voices of those impacted by gun violence.
Every Saturday, Eric opens his studio, Dycus Vision Production, to young people. Those kids are learning how to make movies by making their very own movie that will be screened at the Kan Kan Cinema when it's completed.
Thirteen-year-old Lanaiya White has always wanted to be a videographer in Hollywood.
"When my family would buy DVDs, I would always watch the behind the scenes and see how things were, and that's so cool to me," she said.
The Dycus's run the program to keep young people off the streets. They say film gives the kids an outlet to express their feelings in a safe, empowering way.
"If you're a person of that kind of creative nature, you have an obligation to seek the truth if you're a truth-seeker. Therefore, I'm teaching my youth how to seek and tell the truth," says Robert Washington, a 17-year-old high school senior going through the program.
Washington's 11-year-old brother, Rylan Golden, is the director.
"All of them are my favorite parts, but I really like learning things. Like there are days when we just learn audio or camera. Those are my favorites. Learning everything," he said.
The kids are writing a horror movie, and they assure WRTV that it's going to be very good, but they refuse to give any spoilers or sneak previews of the script, at Golden's command.
This is the first time the Dycus's have run this program, but they intend to offer it again, and hope it will inspire other adults to share their skills with the next generation.
"We can only reach a small sector, and there are so many out here who need us and want us, and are looking for someone to help them express their ideas, so I say just go do it," said DeAndra.
The kids are currently in need of professional actors. View their casting call here.
-
Could your goldfish be from Indiana? Martinsville fishery turns 100
Did you know your pet goldfish or koi may have come from right here in Central Indiana? Ozark Fisheries in Martinsville is celebrating 100 years of raising and selling these fish.
City leaders respond to dangerous speeding concerns on 38th Street
City leaders are doing their part to address speeding issues on 38th Street, after residents from the Butler-Tarkington neighborhood raised concerns about the dangerous roadway.
Major investments fuel rapid growth along Ronald Reagan Parkway in Brownsburg
A $435 million Labcorp facility and a massive HarperCollins warehouse highlight rapid development and spark debate along Brownsburg’s fastest-growing corridor.
IMPD's warning after kids accidentally eat THC gummies at Indianapolis motel
Three young children accidentally ingested THC gummies at a motel on Indianapolis' east side, police said.
