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Video Confronts Discrimination Among Youth In Ecuador

Firdaus Kharas (far right) works with youth advisory group in Ecuador.

Animation encourages youth to take ownership of correcting refugee problems

This model of getting teenagers to watch an animated video that brings out the issues of discrimination can be applied on a world-wide basis.”
— Firdaus Kharas
OTTAWA, CANADA, December 21, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ --

Chocolate Moose Media (CMM) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) have partnered in Ecuador for ground-breaking work about refugees that could have reverberations around the world.

The result is "I Am Not A Victim," a 13-minute animated video that fosters understanding between Ecuadorians and the 250,000 Colombian refugees in that country who have fled violence at home. It is one of the first times that animated media is being used to counter violence, sexual violence, discrimination and stigma, especially among youth, within a refugee environment.

“This model of getting teenagers to watch an animated video that brings out the issues of discrimination can be applied on a world-wide basis to votively affect the more-than 66 million displaced people. I want to congratulate CRS and the other partners in Ecuador for their innovation and commitment,” says CMM founder and video director Firdaus Kharas.

"I Am Not A Victim" uses a narrative of a teenaged Colombian girl in Ecuador as she evolves through the discrimination directed at immigrants to a place of strength and understanding. First used in schools with an accompanying study guide, the video has such a compelling message that it has already won two film festival awards, including a Platinum Pixie Award (http://www.pixieawards.com/previous-winners/2017-award-winners/) and an Award of Merit Special Mention from the Best Shorts Film Competition (http://bestshorts.net).

“Making youth the protagonists brings a sense of ownership into the films by the very youth we are targeting,” says Joseph Kelly, head of programs for CRS in South America.

To ensure authenticity Kharas travelled to Ecuador and used three teenaged advisory committees in preparing the script. The entire video is voiced by volunteer Ecuadorian and Colombian youth. It is in Spanish with English subtitles.



About Chocolate Moose Media


Chocolate Moose Media - www.chocmoose.com - is the world’s leading producer of animated behaviour-change communications aimed at solving health and social issues around the world. Led by renowned social innovator, director and humanitarian Firdaus Kharas, CMM produces animation, documentaries, videos and television series designed to educate, entertain and change societal and individual behaviour to positively influence viewers’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviour, especially those of children and young adults, in order to better the human condition. More than 3,600 animated videos in 188 language versions are available online in a Vimeo channel - https://vimeo.com/firdauskharas.


About Catholic Relief Services

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. The agency provides assistance to people in need in nearly 100 countries without regard to race, religion or nationality.  For more information, please visit www.crs.org or www.crsespanol.org.

Mike Levin
Chocolate Moose Media
613 233-9970
email us here

I Am Not A Victim

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