1000 Voices Archive

About the Project

Launched in May 2008, the 1000 Voices Archive (http://www.1000VoicesArchive.org) explores the potential of short form film to expand civic dialogue on issues of critical importance, especially in the areas of health care, immigration, and women's leadership. When fully populated in 2009, the Archive will be composed of 1000 film shorts of people telling a personal story that evokes the values that matter to them most. Many of the films will feature local leaders who are "moving the dial," building communities, changing policies, and improving lives by using their voice. The 1000 Voices Archive was born out of the need expressed by advocates for stories that are hopeful, solution-based, and tied together through the language of values. The 1000 Voices Archive platform provides filmmakers with new audiences and greater social impact and also provides advocates with readily accessible, well-produced content that helps them put a human face on the policies they work on every day. Since its launch, stories from the 1000 Voices Archive have been screened at town halls, conferences, and with journalists, educators, and organizers in Miami, Boston, Milwaukee, Des Moines and several other U.S. cities.

The Fledgling Fund Impact

Good stories have always been the most powerful way to engage, inspire, and, over time, shape public dialogue around the values we believe in. That is why The Fledgling Fund joined Creative Counsel as a co-presenter of the 1000 Voices Archive.

The archive is designed to tap into the power of short film stories to encourage community conversations through a range of advocacy tools. Through the 1000 Voices Archive, each of story becomes a "public dialogue engine." Factsheets, social networking tools, an online print shop, and other resources associated with each video enable viewers to promote informed dialogue at schools, at faith gatherings, and policy meetings. And if a viewer prefers to take private action, our tools allow them to write directly to their elected officials and local media.

The Fledgling Fund believes that this innovative use of new media is a way to engage new audiences in social change. The stories of the 1000 Voices Archive bring a human face to often difficult-to-understand policies. They bring humanity back to issues such as immigration, discrimination, and access to healthcare. We're doing this because communities are yearning for serious conversations and information about what we can be together, as a diverse nation, if given the opportunity.