Former MBC (Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation) producer, Lee Yong Gi, speaks with Inclusion Films screenwriter, Michael Cooney on a visit to Korea by the Bakersfield delegation in March. Photo by Jill Egland

At the far right, Yoo Kyong Mi, president of Sae Nuri Parents’ Organization from the South Korean province of Gyeonggido, speaks with a quiet passion about the need for legislative reform in support of individuals with developmental disabilities. At the far left, Debbie Ahn, co-executive director of the South Korea-based nonprofit One of Us, translates for BARC President Jim Baldwin and Kern Regional Center Director Mike Clark. Photo by Jill Egland

By Jill Egland, Director of Special Projects, Arts Council of Kern

Each June for the past three years, filmmaker Joey Travolta and his Burbank-based crew have relocated to Bakersfield to hold a two-week intensive film-making program for Kern County’s youth. The program has represented a collaborative effort between Travolta’s Inclusion Films company, the Arts Council of Kern, and Kern Regional Center.

Inclusion Films offers the two-week format around the country as a high-energy, intensive – and inclusive – camp for developmentally disabled and neuro-typical youth. However, here in Kern the program has always been tailored to respond to specific needs of the community. And it has evolved over time.

Middle and high school-aged migrant students were the targeted audience in the summer of 2007. The second year saw the program shift to include developmentally disabled students. Then, in the fall of 2008, the Kern Film Workshop was initiated. This 20-week vocational training effort was fashioned after Travolta’s highly successful Burbank program. About half of the participants who entered the workshop’s inaugural cycle had transitioned from that June’s film camp.

Since the launch of the Kern Film Workshop, the summer program has provided the opportunity for the film team to assess the readiness of youth and young adults to pursue filmmaking as a vocation, and to assist in their transition to longer-term programs, such as the Kern Film Workshop.

This year, the two-week event – now known as the Performing Arts Project – will have a greater emphasis on visual arts and tech theatre, two areas that are well-suited for enterprise development.

The notion that the film industry possesses entrepreneurial opportunities for artists with developmental disabilities is something that Debbie Ahn, the co-director of the Korea-based nonprofit One of Us, is keenly aware of.  She and a team of parents, business leaders and legislators are developing a school in the city of Yeong Cheong which will be modeled after Taft College’s Transition to Independent Living (TIL) program. At the heart of Korea’s TIL program will be a film school based on the “Bakersfield Model.”

As the director of special projects at the Arts Council of Kern, I had the opportunity to visit Korea this past March as part of a California delegation designed to advocate for the establishment of ADA-like legislation, and the development of vocational training programs that tap the creative abilities of the disabled, such as filmmaking. The team also included Dr. Mike Clark, director of the Kern Regional Center, and Jim Baldwin, president of BARC, as well as representatives from San Diego State University, ADELANTE, an East L.A.-based youth mentoring project, and Travolta’s Inclusion Films.

Now the Koreans are coming to Kern.

The 12-person team will be participating in the Performing Arts Project in order to gain a first-hand experience of the program and begin to discern how it will need to be adapted for a Korean audience. The delegation includes four developmentally disabled students and their aides, two of the teachers who are working to develop the curriculum for the Korean school, Ahn, and a documentary filmmaker.

The exchanges will continue in the coming year, with many opportunities for developmentally disabled students from Kern County to visit Korea. “We see this as the beginning of a long-term partnership between Kern County and Yeong Cheong,” Ahn said. “We are anxious to learn from you how to develop this educational model for our students with disabilities. And we have opportunities for the graduates of your program to come to Korea and serve as mentors.”

A reception to welcome the delegation is being held tonight, June 7, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the historic Neutra house, which is now the residence of David Coffey, a member of the Arts Council Board of Directors. More opportunities to meet the delegation include a closing celebration and review of student work at noon Friday, June 18 at Congregation B’nai Jacob, 600 17th St.

Those interested in attending should contact Laura Wolfe at the Arts Council of Kern at (661) 324-9000.

Additionally, the Kern Film Workshop will be premiering its latest film at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 10, at Jastro Park. Sponsoring partners include Bakersfield Recreation and Parks, the Arts Council of Kern, and Kern Regional Center with Meet Your Neighbors. The event is free, and a barbecue dinner will be available for $8 general, $5 staff and free for clients. For more details, call Tamerla Flockton at (661) 865-8245. Dinner tickets must be ordered by June 8.

Jill Egland is the president of the board of directors for Bakersfield Express.