Homefront Named a Finalist for 2023 duPont-Columbia Awards

Homefront Named a Finalist for 2023 duPont-Columbia Awards

Blog

Homefront Named a Finalist for 2023 duPont-Columbia Awards

Columbia Journalism School announced that Shine Global’s short documentary Through Our Eyes: Homefront is one of the 30 Finalists of the 2023 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, all of whom produced outstanding public service audio and video reporting. The honorees covered the globe, from breaking news coverage of deadly international conflict in Ukraine and Afghanistan to impactful local and national investigations, exposing threats to national security and holding the powerful to account throughout the country.

“Journalists bear witness to critical events in our world, and this past year was no different,” said Lisa R. Cohen, Director of the duPont-Columbia Awards. “From war zones abroad to battlegrounds here at home on the abortion front, or divisive politics, or the fight for racial equity, reporters were there to let the public see too.”

The winners will be announced in early 2023. The duPont Awards ceremony will be held on February 7, 2023, the first in-person gathering in three years, at Columbia University’s Low Memorial Library.

In the US, more than three million children live in homes with service members and veterans who rely on caregiver support. In HOMEFRONT, three children of veteran families cope with the emotional impact of having a wounded parent, navigate the unique challenges of visible and invisible injuries sustained during military service, and together journey toward collective healing.

Gabby, Terry, and Luther all have parents who were injured while serving, and each family has found a way to heal the wounds of war. Homefront shows how Gabby (9), a fierce animal lover with a stock of chickens, rabbits, bees, and dogs, loves her family and faces her fears about her Dad’s traumatic brain injury and PTSD via equine therapy. Terry (10), an enthusiastic boy and his parents, Taniki and Brandon, share their experiences and mental health struggles as they work to heal and help each other cope with depression and PTSD through honest conversation and embracing joy. Luther (9) is a charismatic boy who wants to be “like my dad when I grow up.” His father, Joe, a Navy veteran who lost his leg in an IED explosion, struggles through chronic pain to put family first.

Produced by Sesame Workshop in association with Shine Global, Homefront is directed by Emmy Award-winning director Kristi Jacobson and produced by Alexandra Blaney and Netsanet Negussie.

 

Shine Global is also pleased to offer this free companion discussion guide to the Through Our Eyes: Homefront documentary for viewers to download.  The film is now available to watch on HBOMax as part of the Through Our Eyes documentary series from Sesame Workshop.

*You can download free curricula for Shine Global’s other films here.

Shine Global is an award-winning non-profit media company that gives voice to children and their families by sharing their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. We produce inspiring films and compelling content about at-risk children. Through tailored distribution and outreach, we connect with our audiences in communities, classrooms, museums, and on capitol hill as part of a powerful engagement campaign to encourage social change.

Homefront Named a Finalist for 2023 duPont-Columbia Awards

Homefront Panel Discussion on Military Children and Families’ Mental Health April 26, 2022

Blog

Homefront Panel Discussion on Military Children and Families’ Mental Health April 26, 2022

SHINE GLOBAL HONORED THE MONTH OF THE MILITARY CHILD WITH EXCLUSIVE LIVE PANEL DISCUSSIONS FOR THROUGH OUR EYES: HOMEFRONT

In honor of the Month of the Military Child, Shine Global hosted free panel discussions and virtual viewings of Through Our Eyes: Homefront, our short documentary illustrating the impact of military service through the eyes of three children from across the country. In the second panel hosted on April 26, Dr. Charles Marmar of NYU Langone moderated a discussion with Dr. Carl Castro of USC School of Social Work’s Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans and Military Families, Dr. Tracy Neal-Walden of Chief Clinical Officer of the Cohen Veterans Network, Dr. Amanda Spray Director of the Steven A Cohen Military Families Clinic at NYU Langone, and Dr. Amy Williams Chief Clinical Officer of Headstrong

The panelists discuss both the resilience of military children and families and their unique mental health needs that often are not met.

Select Quotes from the conversation include

  • “As a therapist, can I imagine having this film [Homefront] in my back pocket and sharing it with a family? Absolutely. Right, here are some families that might be struggling and here are some things that they’re doing as a way to kind of normalize, destigmatize, open up a conversation…. It can fast track.” – Amy Williams, Chief Clinical Officer, Headstrong
  • “[Homefront] highlighted a huge gap in our knowledge, a huge gap in our support structures for parents with kids, fairly young children who need an opportunity to explore and be a child.” Carl Castro, USC School of Social Work
  • “I think [Homefront] is a wonderful bridge….and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to build those bridges and get a better understanding of what military families, especially service members who have been wounded, go through. It’s very very powerful.”  – Carl Castro, USC School of Social Work 

In the first panel on April 12th, Homefront director Kristi Jacobson was joined by Headstrong CEO Jim McDonough, Blue Star Families CEO Kathy Roth-Douquet, and Travis Manion Foundation President Ryan Manion for a discussion about the film and the mental well-being of veterans and their families. The conversation was moderated by Former Acting Secretary of the Army Honorable Patrick J. Murphy.  You can watch the April 12 panel with them here.

 

Shine Global is also pleased to offer this free companion discussion guide to the Through Our Eyes: Homefront documentary for viewers to download.  The film is now available to watch on HBOMax as part of the Through Our Eyes documentary series from Sesame Workshop.

In the US, more than three million children live in homes with servicemembers and veterans who rely on caregiver support. In HOMEFRONT, three children of veteran families cope with the emotional impact of having a wounded parent, navigate the unique challenges of visible and invisible injuries sustained during military service, and together journey toward collective healing.

Gabby, Terry, and Luther all have parents who were injured while serving, and each family has found a way to heal the wounds of war. Homefront shows how Gabby (9), a fierce animal lover with a stock of chickens, rabbits, bees, and dogs, loves her family and faces her fears about her Dad’s traumatic brain injury and PTSD via equine therapy. Terry (10), an enthusiastic boy and his parents, Taniki and Brandon, share their experiences and mental health struggles as they work to heal and help each other cope with depression and PTSD through honest conversation and embracing joy. Luther (9) is a charismatic boy who wants to be “like my dad when I grow up.” His father, Joe, a Navy veteran who lost his leg in an IED explosion, struggles through chronic pain to put family first.

*You can download free curricula for Shine Global’s other films here.

Shine Global is an award-winning non-profit media company that gives voice to children and their families by sharing their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. We produce inspiring films and compelling content about at-risk children. Through tailored distribution and outreach, we connect with our audiences in communities, classrooms, museums, and on capitol hill as part of a powerful engagement campaign to encourage social change.

Homefront Named a Finalist for 2023 duPont-Columbia Awards

Homefront Panel Discussion on Caring for Military Children April 12, 2022

Blog

Homefront Panel Discussion on Caring for Military Children April 12, 2022

SHINE GLOBAL HONORED THE MONTH OF THE MILITARY CHILD WITH EXCLUSIVE LIVE PANEL DISCUSSION FOR THROUGH OUR EYES: HOMEFRONT

In honor of the Month of the Military Child, Shine Global hosted free panel discussions and virtual viewings of Through Our Eyes: Homefront,  our short documentary illustrating the impact of military service through the eyes of three children from across the country.  In the first panel, Homefront director Kristi Jacobson was joined by Headstrong CEO Jim McDonough, Blue Star Families CEO Kathy Roth-Douquet, and Travis Manion Foundation President Ryan Manion for a discussion about the film and the mental well-being of veterans and their families. The conversation was moderated by Former Acting Secretary of the Army Honorable Patrick J. Murphy.

The panelists discuss what led them to become active in veterans’ rights, difficulties vets returning from deployment face, community supports needed to ease their reentry, how they are impacted by wounds suffered during active duty and the collateral damage experienced by family members, and what communities can do to ease their transition and provide services to themselves and their family members.

 

Select quotes from the conversation include:

  • Mental health is as important as physical health.”  – Honorable Patrick J. Murphy, Former Acting Secretary of the Army
  • “We’re turning our attention to…the mental health of military youth. We have an opportunity to understand that children themselves and the young adults themselves are protagonists. They’re not the adjunct, not the accessory to the veteran.” – Kathy Roth-Douquet, Blue Star Families CEO
  • “I love how we have destigmatized the idea of mental health…this is not what I grew up with,” – Ryan Manion, Travis Manion Foundation President
  • “The biggest enemy we all face…is that you can be eligible for this here but ineligible for this there. A really accessible practice that creates no barriers, no artificial stigma around accessing its resources is the best antidote to what ails people with mental health needs.” –  Headstrong CEO Jim McDonough  
 

Shine Global is also pleased to offer this free companion discussion guide to the Through Our Eyes: Homefront documentary for viewers to download.  The film is now available to watch on HBOMax as part of the Through Our Eyes documentary series from Sesame Workshop.

In the US, more than three million children live in homes with servicemembers and veterans who rely on caregiver support. In HOMEFRONT, three children of veteran families cope with the emotional impact of having a wounded parent, navigate the unique challenges of visible and invisible injuries sustained during military service, and together journey toward collective healing.

Gabby, Terry, and Luther all have parents who were injured while serving, and each family has found a way to heal the wounds of war. Homefront shows how Gabby (9), a fierce animal lover with a stock of chickens, rabbits, bees, and dogs, loves her family and faces her fears about her Dad’s traumatic brain injury and PTSD via equine therapy. Terry (10), an enthusiastic boy and his parents, Taniki and Brandon, share their experiences and mental health struggles as they work to heal and help each other cope with depression and PTSD through honest conversation and embracing joy. Luther (9) is a charismatic boy who wants to be “like my dad when I grow up.” His father, Joe, a Navy veteran who lost his leg in an IED explosion, struggles through chronic pain to put family first.

*You can download free curricula for Shine Global’s other films here.

Shine Global is an award-winning non-profit media company that gives voice to children and their families by sharing their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. We produce inspiring films and compelling content about at-risk children. Through tailored distribution and outreach, we connect with our audiences in communities, classrooms, museums, and on capitol hill as part of a powerful engagement campaign to encourage social change.

Homefront Named a Finalist for 2023 duPont-Columbia Awards

Free Companion Discussion Guide For Homefront

Blog

Free Companion Discussion Guide For Through Our Eyes: Homefront

Shine Global is pleased to offer this free companion discussion guide to the Through Our Eyes: Homefront documentary for viewers to download.  The film is now available to watch on HBOMax as part of the Through Our Eyes documentary series from Sesame Workshop.

In the US, more than three million children live in homes with servicemembers and veterans who rely on caregiver support. In HOMEFRONT, three children of veteran families cope with the emotional impact of having a wounded parent, navigate the unique challenges of visible and invisible injuries sustained during military service, and together journey toward collective healing.

Gabby, Terry, and Luther all have parents who were injured while serving, and each family has found a way to heal the wounds of war. Homefront shows how Gabby (9), a fierce animal lover with a stock of chickens, rabbits, bees, and dogs, loves her family and faces her fears about her Dad’s traumatic brain injury and PTSD via equine therapy. Terry (10), an enthusiastic boy and his parents, Taniki and Brandon, share their experiences and mental health struggles as they work to heal and help each other cope with depression and PTSD through honest conversation and embracing joy. Luther (9) is a charismatic boy who wants to be “like my dad when I grow up.” His father, Joe, a Navy veteran who lost his leg in an IED explosion, struggles through chronic pain to put family first.

*You can download free curricula for Shine Global’s other films here.

Shine Global is an award-winning non-profit media company that gives voice to children and their families by sharing their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. We produce inspiring films and compelling content about at-risk children. Through tailored distribution and outreach, we connect with our audiences in communities, classrooms, museums, and on capitol hill as part of a powerful engagement campaign to encourage social change.

Notes from Susan: America’s Youngest Hidden Helpers

Notes from Susan: America’s Youngest Hidden Helpers

Blog

America’s Youngest Hidden Helpers

By Susan MacLaury

On November 10th, I watched a very moving event broadcast from the White House. It featured First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, Senator Elizabeth Dole, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough, and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in honoring America’s Hidden Helpers.

Senator Dole, representing the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, joined the White House’s Joining Forces, the Wounded Warrior Project and the Hidden Helpers Coalition as they pledged support to provide a range of services for children and young adults in military families who are caring for wounded, ill or critically injured warriors – suffering from both visible and invisible injuries – at home.

This year Shine Global was honored to work with Sesame Workshop to produce a short documentary for their HBO Max series, “Through Our Eyes.” We chose to focus on military children of injured parents. At the time, there were no studies that quantified the number of children living with disabled veterans, but the Hidden Helpers coalition just released their study at this White House event revealing this is a population of 2.3 million. Our short documentary, “Homefront,” tells the story of three of them: the Rodriguez family in Connecticut, the Richard Family in Virginia, and the Worleys in Georgia.

The First Lady asked Gabby Rodriguez, one of three children profiled in “Homefront” – to introduce her at the White House event. A remarkably poised and articulate child, Gabby breaks your heart with her simple candor about what it is like to have a father who has forgotten how to speak, how to read, or how to care for himself, and whose PTSD creates  emotional stress within the family.

Introduced by Secretary Austin, Gabby spoke eloquently about her father’s struggle, her mother’s unceasing efforts to care for him, and how she and her younger sister, Ava, try to help. I doubt there was a dry eye in the house by the time she thanked Dr. Biden for her support for military families and introduced her.

I know that there wasn’t a dry eye in our house. As a child, my father had been killed in the Korean War and my life had, of course, been hugely affected. Until we embarked on “Homefront,” however, I never had a real appreciation of the post-war challenges faced by soldiers with serious injuries, those who wouldn’t have survived Korea or Vietnam but, with medical advances, often do today. Their courage in trying to recover their lives and care for their families is something for us all to celebrate and support.

I’m proud that our film Homefront is playing a small part in bringing attention and support to these children and their families.  As Gabby said at the event, “I want every other caregiver kid out there to know that there are millions of us. You are not alone.” And I want Gabby and all the other kids to know that Shine Global is among the millions of Americans grateful for their parents’ service to us and who are pledging to support them.

Dr. Susan MacLaury, PhD, LSW is the co-founder and Executive Director of the non-profit media company Shine Global which gives voice to underserved children and their families by telling their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change.  She executive produced the Academy Award® Winning documentary Inocente, the Emmy Award®-winning, Academy Award®-nominated War/Dance, as well as The Harvest (La Cosecha), 1 Way Up in 3D, The Eagle Huntress, Through Our Eyes: Homefront, and Liyana. She is also the producer of the documentary films The Wrong Light and Virtually Free and co-producer of Tre Maison Dasan. Susan is dually degreed in social work administration and health education and was associate professor of health education at Kean University from 1994 through 2013.

Shine Global is an award-winning non-profit media company that gives voice to children and their families by sharing their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. We produce inspiring films and compelling content about at-risk children. Through tailored distribution and outreach, we connect with our audiences in communities, classrooms, museums, and on capitol hill as part of a powerful engagement campaign to encourage social change.

 

 

Watch Homefront on HBOMax

Stream “Homefront” on HBOMax