I'm a longtime documentary film editor and educator, and about ten years ago, my friend Jeanne invited me to Burma to help her develop courses for Burmese film students and makers. I wasn't able to participate back then, but I worked on a film about the resistance to Burma's military government, and our family hosted a former political prisoner, who shared stories of spending 8 years in a nightmarish jungle prison for the crime of advocating for democracy. My family was profoundly moved by him and his commitment. Today, most Burmese iinvolved in the pro-democracy movement have been forced to flee their war-torn nation; many ended up in Thailand, specifically in Mae Sot, a town well off the tourist track, but a town brimming with cultural, ethnic, and linguistic diversity.

And now I'm finally making good on Jeanne's invitation—in September, I'll teach documentary film editing to a group of Burmese refugees in Mae Sot. I'll be teaching at Joy House, a community healing center for people displaced by conflict in Myanmar. Joy House, founded by Jeanne, provides psycho-social support through art therapy and wellness classes taught in a creative and positive environment. It's a safe space to explore the arts and promote health and relaxation for children, youth, and adults. All classes are 100% free.

Joy House is as grassroots as grassroots gets. They are however, suffering from having lost their USAID funding to Elon Musk's chainsaw. I will be volunteering as a teacher, paying my own way. Room and some food are covered, but I'm told that there may not be enough funding for all of the Burmese trainers assisting me.

I've collected a load of technology to donate, and I'll bring an extra suitcase of laptops and other gear. So I have two asks. If you are local to Oakland/Berkeley and have laptops, hard drives, keyboards, etc., to donate, and can deliver them to me, I'll take them. And if you'd like to make a donation of any size, I can give it directly to Joy House, who will issue a formal, signed receipt which I'll give to you upon my return in early October. A little money could go a long way.

If you'd like to donate through a 501(c)3, my friend Ellen Bruno, who has also taught documentary filmmaking at Joy House, has offered her non-profit as a pass-through for donations. If you want to donate this way, please donate to the SPLIT OUTREACH PROJECT, a non-profit that creates and distributes educational media, and the money will be earmarked for Joy House.

Here are a few links about Joy House:

FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/joyhousecenter

Thai outreach film (5 min):

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_RJ0QFn15IBLhQarLFJB5gk6lE0dHQF2/view

Thank you very much for considering this.

xo ken