Gordon Education Initiatives for the Performing Arts

Hi Friends, we've been working on some new projects behind the scenes. For the past couple of months, we've been having fun working closely with Wharton Dual Language Academy to create short films about important figures and social movements in American History from the 1700's to present day. These 8th students researched the time period, wrote the entire film, designed costumes, and acted on greenscreen. And, in just a couple weeks, they'll have their big premiere.
We are bringing back our youth filmmaking summer camps this summer, and it's sure to be an exciting one. If interested, sign up on www.gordoneducation.org

We are constantly impressed by the incredible work the teenagers have been doing at the Harris County Juvenile Probation Center where we have been leading filmmaking workshops since June 2022. We now completed our 6th original film project at The Opportunity Center and our 2nd original film at Youth Village, and trained two additional teaching artists, including Johnny Maloney. Both films this summer had a facility-wide premiere and was met with acclaim from their peers, teachers and facility directors. And, for the first time, the actors at The Opportunity Center utilized a green screen and operated every piece of equipment for their entire action film.
The Opportunity Center is set up as a school for previously justice-involved jouth to attain their GED.
We're aware of the opportunities and skills that this program creates. Many of the youth who have been through our program have wanted to continue filmmaking and we hope the skills they take from our program will stay with them for years to come.

We can’t wait to be back for our next project. Thank you

That’s a wrap on our final camp for the summer! During this documentary filmmaker camp, the campers focused their film on cultural communities in Houston and visited MECA in the 6th ward, Project Row Houses in the 3rd ward, the Indian District, Chinatown, and the Menil museum. They visited with State Senator Molly Cook, the ACLU, Commissioner Ellis’ office, members of the Lipan Apache and Cherokee tribes, and more.

These young filmmakers conceptualized, filmed, narrated, and edited their entire 40-minute documentary. Not bad for two weeks of camp! Needless to say, we’re very proud of them, and it was great to see all the friendships that formed during the camp.

Thank you to all of the campers and their families for your support. A special thanks to everyone who shared their story with us, such as

We can’t wait to see what's in store for next year’s filmmaking camp.

Narrative Camp has come to a close! 🎬 We're thankful for our campers' creativity and imagination as they brought their stories to life. They handled everything from start to finish, including writing and acting in their original movie. Until next time. Keep your creativity flowing!

It was an incredible week at our historical filmmaking camp! The campers had a great time learning about local Houston history and being inspired to create their own historical film. Huge thank you to and Bri Guerrero who made this camp a success. Keep an eye out for our upcoming narrative fiction and documentary camps! Check out the link on our profile for more information.

Tough times for school libraries in Texas. Want to make a video on why library access matters? www.myfriendthelibrary.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDkEDlF4AUQ

My Friend the Library [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO] Join the My Friend the Library video challenge today! Visit www.myfriendthelibrary.com."My Friend the Library" Lyrics and Melody by Amelia Butterfras, 11-ye...

Hey friends of Take The Stage, We've got some exciting news!

🎬Gordon Education, creator and founder of Take The Stage, is proud to present their summer 2025 filmmaking camps and have scholarships available that make this experience affordable and accessible to everyone.

🎬During these camps students are creating films from the ground up: learning how to collaborate with one another while brainstorming, having creative freedom to write their own scripts, operate video cameras, design costumes, set, lighting and props.

Here is more information on our camp sessions:
🎬Historical Camp
Ages 9-12
June 9-13 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Location: Heritage Society

🎬1100 Bagby St, Houston, TX 77002
Narrative Fiction
Ages 9-12
July 7-11 from 9 a.m.- 3 p.m.
Location: St. Stephen’s Montessori

🎬1800 Sul Ross St, Houston, TX 77098
Documentary
Ages 12-14
July 14-25 9 a.m.- 3 p.m.
Location: St. Stephen’s Montessori
1800 Sul Ross St, Houston, TX 77098

🎬Camp Details: https://www.gordoneducation.org/summer-camps

🎬Scholarship Form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd0VqJlPx_iwvhNi_rC7gscbE6WTbiRDGPH4fo7x7HuYU5Clw/viewform

🎬Got questions for us? Send us an email at: [email protected]

Calling all DANCERS, and SINGERS in 3rd-8th grade!
Gordon Education Initiatives for the Performing Arts is making a music video for a library campaign and we want your child to star in it!

3rd - 8th grade students that would like to SING and/or DANCE in a music video about the love of reading and libraries should submit to:

https://forms.gle/AY4ypWHYZMKSLdLW7

by December 3, 2023