Meaningful Movies at First Church is taking a deep dive into the issues around homelessness on Sunday, January 21, at noon with a Lunch & Learn/Meaningful Movies event. Sponsored by our Church & Society/Social Justice Committee, the event will feature three speakers followed by Q&A and discussion. The goal is to energize participants to act on behalf of the unhoused population.
Please watch the 50-minute Stories of Us: Camp Second Chance prior to the event. The film’s director Melinda Raebyne will be the first speaker followed by two other speakers who will address the myths, statistics, and policies related to homelessness in King County. In this powerful award-winning film, director Melinda Raebyne embeds herself one winter at one of Seattle’s homeless camps, Camp Second Chance, sharing with you some of their personal stories and her actual experience of what it’s like to be homeless.
You are welcome to attend in person or via Zoom. After you register, you will receive a
confirmation email with the Zoom link.
Lunch will be served in the Fellowship Hall, following the 10:30 worship service.
The program will begin at 12:00 p.m. and end at 1:00 p.m.
Our January 21 event is Part 2 of an online showing of the film Razing Liberty Square by Mt. Baker Meaningful Movies and co-sponsored by Meaningful Movies at First Church and West Seattle Meaningful Movies about gentrification, climate change, and homelessness. Both films will be used at our January 21 event as a springboard for a conversation about homelessness. You may watch Razing Liberty Square online on January 18 at 6:00 pm. See https://meaningfulmovies.org/events/razing-liberty-square-part-1-of-two-events-on-gentrification-and-homelessness/ for the link to the film and the Zoom discussion afterwards.
More about Our Event on January 21 at noon:
Stories of Us: Camp Second Chance features a homeless encampment in West Seattle founded by the homeless to foster an environment that allows them to become productive people in society. In this powerful award-winning film, director Melinda Raebyne embeds herself one winter at one of Seattle’s homeless camps, humanizing a population by sharing some of their personal stories and her actual experience of what it’s like to be homeless. “Stories of Us” premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival to two sold-out screenings. It was awarded the Turner Legacy Award by Meaningful Movies Project in 2020 and the Audience Choice Award at the Tacoma Film Festival.
Our speakers at noon on January 21 are:
Melinda Raebyne is an award-winning Taiwanese-American filmmaker based in Tacoma, WA. As an independent filmmaker, Melinda collaborates with communities to share local stories that have global resonance and impact. Her award-winning films include Ellos Gritan Libertad (They Scream Freedom), Stories of Us: Camp Second Chance, and Asylum. An advocate for independent filmmaking, she is affiliated with the Meaningful Movies Project and Washington Filmworks and has received a Firelight Media Spark Fund grant.
Anneleen Severynen has worked in community and public health for the last 30 years in many roles—as a volunteer, outreach worker, health educator, program director, researcher, nurse, and community advocate. She has also experienced some very stressful life events including temporary homelessness and losing family to overdose. The majority of Anneleen’s career has been spent working with and advocating for persons experiencing homelessness and people from other marginalized communities. Anneleen is also a trainer of Trauma Informed practice and Prevention of Secondary Trauma for King County Public Health and for Health Care for the Homeless. She received her nursing degree from the University of California San Francisco and her graduate degree from the University of Washington.
Jody Rauch is the Senior Programs Manager at the Seattle/King County Coalition on
Homelessness (https://homelessinfo.org). She holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master of Arts in Cultural Studies, with 20 years in the healthcare field. Her background has been in Community and Public Health nursing where she worked extensively with diverse populations, from people experiencing homelessness, people with mental health diagnoses and substance use disorders, to people with limited access to the healthcare system. Using decades of direct, clinical experience, she now focuses on the intersections of health and homelessness through policy, advocacy, collective action, and supporting homeless service providers across King County.
– Brought to you by the Church & Society/Social Justice Committee