♪♪♪

Carol: The
Student Voices campaign

was created by the California
Alliance for Arts Education

to speak to the need for
arts for all students in

every classroom every day.

And it was way, a means of
giving students a voice

to say, 'This is why
we need the arts.'

Carol: Now, what will be the
focus of the cameras

during the ceramics class?

Michael: Carol Hovey
is the drama director

at Livermore High School.

She's checking in today with
a group students who are

working on a two-minute
video for the

Student Voices Campaign.

Vincent: Our video for the
Student Voices Campaign

is about how there's so
many different art types,

and so many different ways
people can express

their art through
sculpting, photography,

filming, that all of
them should be included

for everybody to feel like
they have a voice in this.

James: Most of the
time we've been working on,

um, storyboarding it or just
brainstorming just on

big sheets of paper.

And just jotting down ideas
and figuring out a story and

what would be best for it.

Harleigh: If all of the
quotes together are more

than two minutes, then you
guys may have to look back

to find shorter quotes.

Michael: The video is
a true collaboration,

with drama students writing
the script and recording

the voiceovers...
and film students

like Harleigh turning
it into a reality.

Harleigh: They'll show us a
little picture of what they

want us to do and
we're like okay,

we know exactly how
to make this happen.

We'll get, like,
some close up shots.

We're filming what their
vision is and then

we go back and edit.

Um, we show
them our footage.

They're basically
our bosses. (laughs)

Carol: They learn
how to collaborate,

they learn how
to communicate,

they learn how to
express creativity,

they learn critical
thinking skills,

they learn problem solving.

So it's an invaluable
process.

Nat full: What if I said you
could change the world

by making a video?

And that video is
about your voice.

Michael: The Student Voices
Campaign launched in 2014

as a creative way to give
students a voice

in school budget
discussions.

Students from schools across
California submit about 200

videos a year....
all of which are judged

by professionals, with
the winners announced

in the spring.

Every video that's
created by students

is also submitted to
their school board.

Caitlin: We've had some
wonderful issues

raised by students at the
Student Voices Campaign.

Um, one of our
outstanding videos was,

um, a video submitted by San
Jose Unified School District

students about trans and
non-binary students

at the school.

Nat full up from trans
video: Gender neutral

restrooms should be readily
available in our schools.

Let's help out our trans
and non-binary friends.

Caitlin: And the outcome
of that video was that the

school board put in two
new restrooms for trans and

non-binary students to use
during their school day.

Michael: Livermore
High School students

have participated in the
video campaign

since the beginning...
advocating to their

school board to keep arts
classes at their school.

Harleigh: Art is pretty much
the first classes they cut

from any budget of schools.

So, if they see how
important it is to students

and how it really gets
our creative minds going,

I think it's
very important for, like,

the community and the
school to understand that.

Vincent: I believe that our
voices should be heard

as students
because they are, uh,

oftentimes not heard as
well as adults or teachers

because they think
that we are too young,

or, um, naïve to understand
what we should be.

Michael: Carol Hovey says
she's mindful to act only as

a guide and observer during
the filmmaking process...

ensuring that the
video really does reflect

the student viewpoint.

Carol: I really
try not to butt in.

I really try just to let
them to find their voice.

Because, as I remind
myself, it's not my voice.

I talk enough.

They need to
find their voice.

Nat full: I feel like their
little sibling and they

always have my back.

Plus we share so many
common interests it's never

boring to go to rehearsal.

Caitlin: The Student Voices
Campaign also introduces

students to advocacy, some
of which have never heard

of this in their daily life,
or understand that that

actually can
make a difference.

Nat full: Arts have
some power.

Do we want to go out
and ask other people

what they think?

Michael: Although the
Livermore High student

video didn't win top
honors, it was a finalist.

Perhaps more importantly, it
conveyed a powerful message

to the Livermore school
board, and community

about how important
art classes are

to these young people.

Vincent: Art is not
just for the art people.

It can also be for
sports people to

come in and express
themselves that way.

It gives everybody an
outlet to express

themselves freely.

James: Arts
matter to people,

and arts have a
lot of power.

They can empower people.

They can changes lives.

Arts can do a lot of
things for people.