tangible hope project
Role: Director, Screenwriter, Producer
A web-documentary chronicling the efforts of grassroots organizations and individuals across the United States who are working to make their communities better places to live. I traveled 5,000 miles and across 11 states to find stories about people who are working to create the world that they would like to live in – not just react to it.
In a time when political headlines and hot-button topics seem to be all we pay attention to, the reality is that people are striving for something better – in ways that unite us, more than divide us.​
FIRST STEPS
Tangible Hope Project came out of a 5,000 miles road trip we took across the United States. From one coast to the other, we interviewed individuals we met in bowling alleys, church parking lots, and graffiti parks (among other places) about their communities and about the individuals or organizations in their town or city that help make it a better place. We also met with change leaders who oversee grassroots organizations that seemed to capture a spirit of innovative, positive change. 11 states and over 50 interviews later, we have the beginning of a documentary series entitled, the Tangible Hope Project. This documentary will capture a living snapshot of America through the lens of local citizens and organizations that are building a positive vision of their community on their own terms.
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Tangible Hope Project was inspired by a desire to bring attention to stories about ways that people are working to create the world that they would like to live in that is not defined by, or in reaction to, the headline-grabbing political and cultural flashpoints that seem to consume most of our current collective attention.
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Just as there are similarities and differences in the cultural personalities of each part of the country, so too, are there similarities and differences in the nonprofits that serve them. From Austin Classical Guitar, to Uncommon Construction in New Orleans, to Rural Resources in east Tennessee, to the nearly 20 other organizations that we spoke with, each offers a snapshot of their community that captures something unique about its location. They also reflect a national trend that is overshadowed by the overheated political and cultural moment in which we live: namely, that in every part of the country, there are innovative changemakers who are making a tangible impact in the lives of the individuals they serve and in their communities as a whole. They create lasting relationships and impacts that rarely makes headlines but that generate models of change and social movements that have the potential to affect the world around them in significant ways.
TAKEAWAYS
Maybe the most profound takeaway I was left with after all of these conversations was that whether an individual or organization was focused on youth, construction, music, or agriculture, the most important thing that they did was not just to put food on someone’s table, or teach someone to use a hammer, or play guitar, but to connect people with each other in a meaningful way.
Matthew Hinsely of Austin Classical Guitar put it to me this way:
“We reach kids that are incarcerated in a variety of ways. We spend time with them and the guitar becomes the organizing principle…when that child is able to go through the underground secure tunnel and pop into the courthouse and perform for the first time in their lives in a courthouse with a hundred people in it, one of whom is the judge that has adjudicated them, one of whom is their mom who could not have imagined their child doing this and have a room full of people stand for them, what you begin to see if you think about it are all the spectra of impact. We’re not teaching the judge to play guitar, we’re not teaching the mom to play the guitar but the impact is powerful and it’s specific to them.”
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I was struck by how the impact of the organizations and individuals I met with seemed to be as profound on the volunteers, the families of the individuals served, and the community at large, as on the single moms, low income youths, or recent immigrants they served directly. I started to see the ripple effect of meaningful impact that benefited everyone in a community, regardless of socio-economic, political, sexual or cultural affiliation.
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“Hopefully what we do here will benefit the community in the fact that we won’t have so much substance abuse which will in turn domino effect to less homeless and more productivity, less illness, which will cause people to be healthier to be more productive and to be citizens of our community.” -Sarah Wozniak, Clinic Manager of Mission City Community Network Clinic in Barstow, CA.
COMMUNITY AID
It’s not just not-for-profit institutions that are making communities a better place. Many of the people to whom I spoke in small towns talked about how the changemakers in their communities were not any particular organization or even a single individual but the community as a whole. They felt that when someone needed a hand they could rely on the community to come to their aid. They spoke about the benefit (and, yes, the challenges) of living in a place where you know everyone:
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“I’ve never been part of a community where I’ve seen so much of people taking care of each other…when there’s something traumatic, when there’s something wonderful to be celebrated, when there’s something unimaginable, it’s just amazing to see how they come (out)…it doesn’t matter who you are, what you believe, race or anything like that, they’ll just be there. And we’ve seen that.”
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“It’s like a family, it’s not perfect…You can’t have road rage here, you’ll run into them at church or see them at the grocery store.” -Gabriella & Benjamin Nielson of Primm, UT.
RESEARCH: USING EXTENDED REALITY TO ENCOURAGE VOLUNTEERISM
One of the original goals of Tangible Hope Project was to inspire viewers to become volunteers in their local communities. Each episode of Tangible Hope Project highlights the work of volunteers and nonprofit organizations in different communities across America. At the end of each episode is a call to action to invite viewers to get involved with local organizations where they live. On the Tangible Hope Project website, there is a page with resources for finding volunteer opportunities in all 50 states.
I am curious to test whether the use of augmented, virtual, or mixed reality technology could be used to create an interactive version of Tangible Hope Project. Rather than passive video narratives showing the work of volunteers, the experience would utilize a combination of 360 video and interactive spatial storytelling to give participants a more intimate and hands on experience of what it feels like to be a volunteer. The experiences would be designed for multiple participants, based on the hypothesis that individuals will be more likely to commit to, and follow through with, a future volunteer activity if it includes the social pressure and support of a friend or family member attending with them.
The experiences would be deployed at public events, like farmers markets or nonprofit fundraisers, to reach a broad mix of potential participants.
As a research experiment to test the relative efficacy of an extended reality experience versus more traditional media to drive engagement, a control group of participants will be shown an episode of Tangible Hope Project featuring the same organization(s) that are the subject of the interactive experience.
I am now beginning initial prototyping to determine the ideal mix of content (i.e. 360 video, augmented physical objects, etc.) and platform to use (i.e. the participant’s smartphone vs. a head-mounted virtual or mixed reality device).
Episode Summary
We hit the road with director/producer, Jonathan David Martin, as he crosses America to find stories about people who are making a tangible, positive impact on the world around them. In this first episode we travel to North Carolina to meet two very different local nonprofits who are making the lives of youth in their small towns better.
In this second episode, we travel to Greeneville, TN to meet with Rural Resources, an agricultural education center that is changing the world one seed at a time.
In this episode we travel to Nashville, TN to get to know the city through the eyes of local activists, nonprofits, and volunteers. Nashville is a city steeped in history that is changing rapidly in the 21st century. What does positive change look like there? Can it help The Music City better serve all of its citizens? And what can we learn about empowering ourselves and others in our own communities?
Down in Birmingham, AL, flows the greatest river you’ve never heard of before. Director/Producer, Jonathan David Martin, takes us on a journey about water, beer, and America’s Amazon. Along the way we learn how one small but mighty river is inspiring a generation of conservationists, students, and entrepreneurs to come together to see their water, and each other, in new ways.
What do running a 5K, building a house, and talking to the mayor on the radio all have in common? Well, in New Orleans they’re just some of the innovative ways that local nonprofits are setting up young people to be leaders of a New Orleans that is healthier, wealthier, and more equitable.
Austin’s city motto is “Keep Austin Weird.” Ever wonder what makes Austin weird? We did. So we went looking for answers at a beloved graffiti park, a local business breaking down cultural barriers, a stereotype-busting music non-profit, and a unique mutual aid society focused on incarcerated individuals in the state of Texas.
Santa Fe is a city that looks and feels unlike any place we’ve ever been. Intimate but sweeping, modern but steeped in history. Going through town you get the sense of something special happening here. We wanted to figure out what that was. Along the way we’ll discover indigenous cuisine, motorcycle toy drives, and good, old-fashioned western resourcefulness that helps the community in sometimes surprising ways.
What makes a place “home?” Travel with us to Denver for our latest installment of Tangible Hope Project to find out how street art, home improvement projects, and great food are providing unique and inspiring answers to that question. Denver is a city that people love to live in, but like many parts of the US, it's facing a housing crisis that's putting a strain on both long time residents and newcomers alike. Discover some of the inspiring stories of local organizations and activists who are helping to make Denver a welcoming home for all of its residents.
CREDITS:
Director: Jonathan David Martin
Screenplay: Jonathan David Martin
Producer: Jennifer Fontana, Todd Ford, Jonathan David Martin
Creative Consultant: Austin Elston
Executive Producer: Aleesa Haro
Associate Producer: Alix Angelis
Editor: Austin Elston, Todd Ford, Karl Jacobsen
Original Music / Score: Royd Haston
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LEARN MORE: www.tangiblehopeproject.org
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Produced for Smoke & Mirrors Collaborative