Prior to the pandemic, I ran a nonprofit that went into rural high schools and taught kids how to conceptualize and start their own small businesses. The goal was to help them create opportunities for themselves and their communities. One aspect of the program involved educational travel and immersive learning.
In 2019, I was fortunate enough to partner with Marshall University and eight interns from the school of journalism and the art & design programs joined me for a six month project. After a series of meetings and some serious fundraising, those interns filmed a documentary. Three separate camera crews followed the high school students from start to finish as they worked their way through the program. I took the footage and edited it into a one hour film that had a theatrical premier and was aired on WV Public Broadcasting several times. The film was called Unwritten.
I had no idea what the film crews were asking during the interviews, and what they were filming until after the project ended. I was busy teaching the course. Without any guidance, the Marshall students captured some really funny and touching moments.
The video was available online for about two years before I took it down. I am reposting it now. I think it tells a story about Appalachia that needs retold today.
As a postscript, the COVID lockdowns killed the nonprofit. I lost all access to schools and students. I tried to run it remotely, but like most things during that time, it just didn’t work outside of the classroom and experiential learning model. I wrote a well-received article about the entire experience in 2021. You can read it here.
Unwritten is a 52-minute documentary about a group of eight high school girls from a small town in West Virginia who take part in a program that teaches entrepreneurship as a pathway to a better life. Filmed over a six-month period in 2019, Unwritten follows the students as they travel across the country to see how starting their own businesses will not only change their future, but the future of their entire community.
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