We've all watched magic shows.
They are mesmerizing. You simply can't stop watching.
We want to use this fascination to create something that will tell a story, engage people, and raise awareness.
Ridealist has teamed up with a talented young conjurer to create a magic show to raise awareness of child abuse and human trafficking.
Our theme, in general, is along the lines of "this is happening right in front of your eyes, but why can't you see it?" A smart trafficker or calculating abuser can hide their activities often as easily as a conjurer can hide the card. You know it is there, you just can't (or choose not to) see it.
We want your input to expand this theme. What message would you like to see? How would you tell the story through this medium? What elements do you think are the most important to include in the script?
We invite you to join us on this venture, as a full participating partner. Your non-profit, your blog, your website will be included in the credits at the end of the video and any accompanying written material.
Send us your thoughts and suggestions, help us raise awareness, and through collaborative action, get the message across that child abuse and trafficking are unacceptable in our society.
This coming Sunday (8th April) we're going to spend a few hours with him and film some of his conjuring tricks, your input will greatly assist us in developing the routine at this early stage.
It will be a "rough" production, just to give you an idea of what he can do.
We'll then share with you to get further input to take the production to the next level.
Chris & Shirley
We had an amazing afternoon shooting with Matt.. what an incredibly talented young man. I am sure you’ll be amazed at the opportunities he has created for raising awareness and promoting your (our) cause through his conjuring routine. Three cameras, more than two hours of filming, so please be patient with us, it will be a few days before we can put it online.
But as a “teaser” - Matt did a quick “skit” to highlight the problem of access to clean water, something most of us take for granted:
Watch Matt make water appear from out of thin air, and his friend remark quite seriously: Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could all do that!
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They are mesmerizing. You simply can't stop watching.
We want to use this fascination to create something that will tell a story, engage people, and raise awareness.
Ridealist has teamed up with a talented young conjurer to create a magic show to raise awareness of child abuse and human trafficking.
Our theme, in general, is along the lines of "this is happening right in front of your eyes, but why can't you see it?" A smart trafficker or calculating abuser can hide their activities often as easily as a conjurer can hide the card. You know it is there, you just can't (or choose not to) see it.
We want your input to expand this theme. What message would you like to see? How would you tell the story through this medium? What elements do you think are the most important to include in the script?
We invite you to join us on this venture, as a full participating partner. Your non-profit, your blog, your website will be included in the credits at the end of the video and any accompanying written material.
Send us your thoughts and suggestions, help us raise awareness, and through collaborative action, get the message across that child abuse and trafficking are unacceptable in our society.
This coming Sunday (8th April) we're going to spend a few hours with him and film some of his conjuring tricks, your input will greatly assist us in developing the routine at this early stage.
It will be a "rough" production, just to give you an idea of what he can do.
We'll then share with you to get further input to take the production to the next level.
Chris & Shirley
We had an amazing afternoon shooting with Matt.. what an incredibly talented young man. I am sure you’ll be amazed at the opportunities he has created for raising awareness and promoting your (our) cause through his conjuring routine. Three cameras, more than two hours of filming, so please be patient with us, it will be a few days before we can put it online.
But as a “teaser” - Matt did a quick “skit” to highlight the problem of access to clean water, something most of us take for granted:
Watch Matt make water appear from out of thin air, and his friend remark quite seriously: Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could all do that!
9 comments:
I think any way that shows children it is SAFE to speak out has to be encouraged. Child abuse is an abuse of POWER. Take the power away from the abuser. My Mum used to say to me if someone I didn't know tried to get me into their car or hurt me I should kick and scream very loudly... Kids need to know they will not be punished for telling and that if the abuser threatens their family, friends or pet that they should still be BRAVE and tell someone.
Fabulous idea! For both the kids and the adults. The most probing question I ever heard was a child of 12 asking if I had porn on my cellphone. My shocked reaction was ... is he looking for something? But I later realized he was investigating me. Just like he should investigate others. I have imagined that question in 100s of places since. The innocent challenging the powerful. We don't know them, but that line of questioning sure knocks the surprise element out of them.
We’ve put this project idea out there in the public domain. Of course we’d like to produce it. But we were asked if we were worried that someone would steal the idea and run with it themselves. The short answer is, no. If it gets done, and if it gets done well, and if it benefits the victims, then we’d be delighted just to know that we planted the seed. That’s enough.
If that does happen, it would be nice, however, that whoever produces this video will consider using our young magician.. he’s an amazingly talented young man who has already put in a lot of hard work on coming up with routines etc.
I look forward to seeing your finished project. Thank you for asking me to participate with the sharing of my thoughts.
I just spent a weekend with two teenaged sisters. One was 12 and wishes she was already 13. The other one was 14. They don't know that they have the right to say "NO", especially if it is an adult asking something of them.
As an incest survivor, I was taught that I was supposed to do whatever any adult asked me to do. That was probably the most damaging belief that my parents taught me. Of course, my dad was my main abuser.
Teaching children that they can say no and that they do have choices is so important today. Openly taking about child abuse with our children is a must in protecting them. Stranger danger isn't the only source of danger to children today but often it is the only one taught by parents. Child sexual abuse in 90% of the cases is done by someone that they child knows.
Chris what an amazing concept, BRAVO! My comments come from 2 angles #1 different "shows" depending upon if the show is geared towards a child, or teen/adult audience; #2 What affect do you want in them after the show, self awareness and protection, or mobilization to protect and/or rescue others. To me both "acts" would be different to achieve the end result. Maybe not but I, as Ark of Hope for Children try to help victims. While empowering them I want to raise up activists to help rescue them.
Scenerio #1A towards children and vicimizable teens; Show tricks that let them see how bad guys lure them in. As with good looking things that seem sweet or enticing. Tricks with speaking of course, can help equip them to be cautious. #1B can then show perhaps how to get help even after having been lured in. ,the bunny is the kid
Scenario #2A Create advocates by sowing them how child abuse leads to child sex trafficking.. and fires up adults and stronger teens to be watchful and ready to rescue or take action. Child sex abuse can expand easily to the realization that they can make money off re-usable victims.
#2B watchfulo adults and even vigilante rescue teams are watchfully prepared. They see disheveled Bunny trying to lure people using the carrot now. New buyers give bunny money for hidden acts. Bunny gives money to pimp, but none for Bunny. Somehow watchful adults notice dejected Bunny selling self. they go into action to lure Bunny away for a rescue.
How to do all this in different or one magic show, I don't know. LOL But the impact of achieving it... WHOA! I work with victims every day. Some were trafficked and rescued, but their lives are ruined in their own minds. The abusers and traffickers keep going because #2 is not happening well enough. I will close by saying I know a young gay teen of 13-14. He got into a mans car innocently. Man enticed and the rather forcibly arranged oral sex on his car IN the parking lot. Boy admits now what seemed adventurous and exciting turned very scary. Adult man then took the boy from the parking lot of a major retailer and drove him home to the boys house. Boy has not seen him since but knows that now this man KNOWS where he lives.
@Ark of Hope - fantastic, exactly what we are looking for. Thank you. Great theme. We’re just heading off to bed with light, video and camera batteries charging ready for tomorrow’s shoot.
If anyone has other suggestions, please do not hesitate to put them forward.
We’ve already received the tentative support of two other television production houses.
This isn’t a Ridealist project, it is an “us” project, together we can really produce something wonderful.
Thank you all for your support. Keep it coming!
Some input via email:
Great idea Chris! Think it will work really well. Perhaps if you're going along "magic route" you could always relate it to the "glamourous assistant" (ie your lady wife). When magician "makes her disappear" or "saws" her in half she always comes back unscathed. Not true for those subjected to sex slavery.
Best of luck. This sounds ace
(From Pip Stewart)
Thank you for requesting our input on this venture and creative medium used to bring awareness to the global crisis of child abuse and sex trafficking. We are more than happy to offer some suggestions for you to incorporate into the project.
The concept you have with the magician is brilliant ! To illustrate the point to the masses, you could start it off very innocently then get darker and darker as the clip progresses. And then end with an empowering message that will inspire victims or potential victims to report the crime/tell an adult etc. Many times victims are ashamed or are fearful of the law, so if you incorporate some information that would encourage them to seek help that would be great. Also highlight the buyers - they are doctors, police, lawyers, politicians, taxi drivers, fathers, brothers, uncles, etc. Showing that it is people that we least expect who are also involved.
Exposing the johns for who they really are. It can be creatively done - as you could have a lawyer leaving a court house and going to purchase sex, father leaving his office before going home to his family to purchase sex, or on lunch breaks heading to the rub and tugs.
Another important component is awareness. Once the clip is completed ensure that it is promoted, tweeted, facebooked and spread virally from every medium possible. If any of your celebrity contacts (like Ashton Kutcher, Ashley Judd etc) respond - ask them to post on their sites as well for maximum exposure.
Best of luck with this and thank you for creating this to help spread the word about this important, yet often overlooked cause. If you need anymore information, do not hesitate to contact us. I have included an attachment with our logo and below is our twitter and website information to include in the credits/clip.
Looking forward to seeing the completed product ! Keep us posted !
Yours sincerely,
Shae Invidiata
[Free-Them], Founder
Matt did a magnificent job with us yesterday. He was tireless, and we even managed to put together a very quick video on the global water shortage, and the dreadful child mortality rates as a direct result of dirty water.
We'll begin cutting the video for child abuse / trafficking this week, but in the meantime watch Matt's "Magic Water" trick:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZBLY-uNgWA
Hi Chris. Good for you for getting the message out. Let me know when it is done and I will do a post including the video. There is never enough awareness on this topic. Not everyone agrees with my thoughts on how to pull heart strings but I would go for the hard core images and videos that truly make people want to turn away. It leaves an imprint on their souls they never forget. If there is any way to get someone like Philantroper involved to do a donation day when you launch in conjunction with a charity why not try to get donations directed to an organization when the video is done. Seeing children suffer is something that effects all of us in our hearts. I recently showed my 4 year old son how children in Africa have to walk with buckets to get their clean water out of dirty holes. I wanted to shock him into the reality that not every child has fresh food and water in their home. Shock people with the reality of images of how children suffer from abuse. Thank you for doing this.
Jacqueline
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