Some of you who joined us at the Dusk Dances 2010 picnic will recall an unforgettable group that captivated the audience – I Rock With THE ONE – if you missed it, here’s a sneak peak:

Among those whose hearts they touched, was Reni Walker, DNA’s social media strategist, writer and videographer – and they became the subject of her first documentary with her Mini Docs partner Nadine Anglin, God Bless the B-Boy!
When you speak to Reni you find out why she and Nadine are so passionate about producing this documentary. It’s an amazing story! Read more about God Bless the B-Boy below.

We congratulate these two amazing ladies for having the courage to produce this documentary all on their own!

Support the God Bless the B-Boy: The Documentary Indiegogo Campaign!

They have launched a crowdfunding campaign on IndieGoGo and need your help.

Reni and Nadine have been self-financing filming for a year but are maxed out. They can’t finish the project without crowdfunding. [For those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s basically getting people who might be interested in your project to donate any amount they can AND to spread the word about the work. ]

You can support them in 3 possible ways:

1. Back them. Please back the project by contributing any amount. Nothing is too small. The campaign is only 30 days long but it’s a long way to raising their goal of $10,000 so please consider supporting them. You can do it here.

2. Activate your network. I know not everyone can afford a cash donation. But you can still help. Please craft a personal email to a tight group of people you know who would be willing to support them either financially or by spreading the word to THEIR network. Maybe you know someone who works with youth, or immigrants, or a dancer, someone who is in film, or maybe even your church! Make a personal plea for help. It’s not only for the film makers, it’s also to support a group of young people making a difference and we wholeheartedly believe the world needs to hear these stories.

3. Share, share, share. Promote on social media. Through email. By word of mouth. By telephone. And please ask them to share. It’s a short period of time to get the word out but it’s a worthy cause. That’s it! Back them. Activate your network. Share!

And in case you’re wondering if this can really work, Inocente was the first crowdfunded film to win an Oscar. It works!

About God Bless the B-Boy: http://www.godblessthebboy.com/

This is the story of Ron, a young man who immigrated to Mississauga with his family from the Philippines, who walked away from crime and drugs to focus on hip hop. Ron trained, auditioned, and did well, touring the world with big musical acts, making a lot of money. But when his teenage brother started getting into trouble with police he decided to give it all up, to come back, to keep his brother from making the wrong choices. And while training his brother at a local community centre, other kids started to hang out and watch. So Ron started to teach them too.
Their numbers grew. They were determined. Ron saw a lot of potential. They named themselves I Rock with the ONE, to acknowledge that at the heart of it, even though they were open to anyone and everyone, they were a faith-based group.

They started to compete. Occasionally they would win. Once they even won at the Canadian National Hip Hop Championships and represented Canada at the Worlds in Las Vegas. Some of those kids were complete beginners at dance.

How are they different? Ron let’s anyone join and everyone can compete. Not just the best. Not just the ones who will improve their chances of winning. Because Ron wants to teach them more than just how to win, he wants them to learn hard work, determination, self-respect and respect for others, for their families, their parents, their community.

The only criteria to staying in the group are good behaviour and academics: kids must abide their parents, stay out of trouble, and maintain an average of at least 90%, 95% if they want to compete. That is a high standard for any kid. For some of these kids, the bar has never been so high.

Now those kids are not only changing their lives, they’re following in Ron’s footsteps and mentoring other kids. They started an outreach program called Operation Inspire, where they return to their high schools and mentor and teach kids just like them.

One young man helping his brother has become dozens of teenagers helping each other.

Please help us tell their story. Imagine if they inspired other kids in other communities to take on the same journey? You can help make it happen.

Thank you!