From Richmond Youth Peace Project News:

Mark Your Calendars for Generation Dream 2011:
Sunday, January 30 and Friday, February 4

The Richmond Youth Peace Project will present its sixth annual youth Educoncert, Generation Dream 2011, honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Two performances are scheduled this year. The first show will be held at the VCU Singleton Performing Arts Center, 922 Park Avenue, on Sunday, January 30, 2011 at 4 p.m. A second performance will be held at the Richmond Public Library’s main branch, 101 E. Franklin Street, on Friday, February 4 at 7 p.m. A $5 donation is requested to help defray expenses at the Sunday afternoon show. Admission to the Friday evening show–part of February’s First Fridays events–is free.

Generation Dream 2011 features youth performers from throughout metro Richmond, along with several adult professional artists. This uplifting 90-minute multi-cultural variety show is built around the themes of peace, nonviolence and social justice. The show is part of Living the Dream, Richmond’s annual commemoration of the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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From solicitation:

Usually when you see something like this, the first thought is, “oh great, another filmmaker needs some money.” This is no call for money. This is a call for you. That’s right, you (and the rest of Richmond). New Years Eve is coming, and that means PBR will be flowing in record amounts, toasts will be had, holiday cheers will abound, and for one night, all of Richmond will celebrate another year of existence.

So what exactly does this mean for you? Well, I want to see Richmond collaborate on a wide-scale video project – a music video (For the DJs out there reading this, I need a 5-6 minute remix of Pink’s Raise Your Glass by Jan 11th). I want to see Richmond raise a toast to the New Year. It doesn’t matter if you’re in Carytown watching the ball raise, at Gallery 5 for Decemberween, or sitting in the comfort of your own home with friends and family. Whatever you choose to do, however you choose to celebrate, I want to see you!

I know you’re thinking, “wait a second, what’s the big idea here?” You’re right. It is a big idea, but big ideas can be accomplished if people work together in small amounts. The concept is simple. Take out your video camera (make sure its 30fps, and preferably 720 or 1080p). Get everyone in the shot, and raise your glass to the camera. If you want to throw in some comedic antics, feel free – this is partially your video too.

Once you have a 10-30 second clip, upload it to youtube (in the highest quality possible), tag it with the names (correct spelling important) of everyone in the video, add the tags “richmond”, “raise your glass”, and “NYE2011”, and then send a link to jon@mrheadlee.com or @MrHeadlee (if you prefer twitter over email) by January 11th (that’s more than enough time for 30 seconds). On Feb 3rd (Chinese New Year), the video will be released for the world to see. This has been done on a global scale by both Youtube and Vimeo, so why can’t we do it for Richmnond?

Some of you may ask, why should we do this, and why even bother? Well, I’m bothering because Richmond is where I found a sense of identity, a sense of self, and a sense of worthiness. Richmond has given me a lot to be proud of, a lot to remember, and a lot to look forward to. I’m leaving Richmond to pursue bigger and better things (NYC’s art scene and hopefully Hollywood in the summer), but I want to give Richmond something that everyone will want to remember. I want to give Richmond my own personal thank you, a memento if you will, and what better way than to create a video that shows off as much of the city as possible?

Well, there you have it. Do you want to create something special, or just get drunk this NYE? Hell, why not do both and have a grand ‘ole time? I know I will. Lastly, I’m not actually blind – I just had my camera stolen, and I’m treating it as a lesson from Karma that I need to learn to work better with others instead of just doing my own thing – which is why I’m asking you for your help.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to seeing your faces!

Raise your glass for 2011!

Jon Headlee