How can students and educators navigate America’s broken juvenile justice system? Avoid it. Michael Martin (now 19) was incarcerated on Rikers Island and shares his experience about getting in, and out, of trouble in a short documentary he made for PBS. Mike reflects on the boredom that got him into trouble, the guidance from a counselor at Friends of Island Academy to lead him out of trouble, and his film mentor who has helped him find his voice. Join us at SXSW EDU on Tuesday, March 5 from 11 am to noon at the Austin Conference Center, Room 11AB for our conversation with Holly Carter (BYkids Founder), Mike Martin (BYkids filmmaker), Hollis Meminger (BYkids mentor) and Messiah Ramkissoon (Friends of the Island Academy counselor).

Thrilled to be part of Bergen County’s anti-bullying programs, in conversations with over 3,000 students after screenings of POET AGAINST PREJUDICE about Islamophobia, bullying and immigration.

“I want to thank you for bringing this program to my high school. I have always wanted to discuss this topic but never found the right platform. The only thing we ever learned about Muslims was always about 9/11, so it was really refreshing to have a positive view of Muslims.” Yusra Subhani, Teaneck High School

Tonight we celebrate Raise the Age with the world premiere of  I COULD TELL YOU ‘BOUT MY LIFE — Mike Martin’s story about returning to life in Harlem after incarceration on Rikers at 17 and a panel discussion with Mike Martin (BYkids filmmaker), Holly Carter (BYkids founder and executive director), Chiemi Karasawa and Hollis Meminger (Mike’s BYkids film mentors), Tim Lisante (superintendent overseeing Rikers), Christine Pahigian (Friends of Island Academy executive director), and moderated by Johnny Perez (director of U.S. Prison Programs, National Religious Campaign Against Torture). We honor Christine Pahigian and the Honorable Bryanne Hamill, NYC Board of Corrections, Board of Children’s Rights, Commission on Civil Rights/NY Advisory Committee and retired NY Family Court Judge. We close with a performance by Messiah Ramkissoon. We experience what BYkids strives to instill in classrooms around the world – engagement, empathy and understanding.

BYkids is a proud delegate at the Qatar Foundation’s World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) in New York. Lots of new partners from the conference – Learning Revolutions: Creating Educational Environments for Empowerment and Inclusion.

Join us October 1 in Harlem
Honoring: Christine Pahigian (Friends of Island Academy Executive Director) and Bryanne Hamill

Learn more

Thank you to the Malala Fund for sharing Edelsin Linette Mendez’ story of climate change and its impact on the production and income of her family coffee farm in Nicaragua.Read the article

Help BYkids get to SXSW by voting for our panel Escaping Rikers Island: A Cinematic Journey http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/83004. Voting closes Friday, Aug. 30. Your vote will help bring this powerful story about juvenile justice to Austin. Thanks.
#SXSW and #PanelPicker

Help BYkids present at SXSW EDU by voting for our panel Rikers: An Education Through Film at https://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/85358. Voting closes Friday, Aug. 30. Thanks for helping us bring this important story of juvenile justice to Austin.

In partnership with CBSN, BYkids is proud to present our newest film, OUT OF ALEPPO. After a perilous journey from Syria to Berlin, Mohammad Shasho (age 18) and his family struggle to establish a new life. Mentored by award-winning documentary filmmaker Anja Baron, Mohammad finds his own voice and gives voice to his fellow refugees. He explores loss, art and hope in his debut film. Watch the trailer

Preparing to launch Michael Martin’s debut film—which explores his experience on Rikers Island—several members of the BYkids team attend a screening of Bill Moyers’ Rikers: An American Jail. Followed by a panel discussion that included two former Rikers inmates, a public defender and a prosecutor, the event revealed inhumane practices and an unsustainable culture in the jail.