Friday, March 11, 2011

Finding Hope Now

By David Owens

Finding Hope Now is a new  movie creating quite a buzz. And it was  filmed in Fresno!
The movie,  from Skin Mead's screenplay, is based on Pastor Roger Minassian's book, "Gangs to Jobs" published in 2003.

It's a true story about how a local Pastor started a program to take gang kids off the streets of Fresno and prepare them for real jobs. It focuses on Santos, a 16-year-old  kid torn between joining a gang to survive and support his pregnant 14-year-old girlfriend -- and joining Reverend Minassian's program to change his life.



Writer Skin Mead  wrote the screenplay   and is producer
for the movie directed by  Jennifer Tadlock



Skin Mead's screenplay has already won a number of awards
Now the film is showing at film festivals and is sure to gain some notice.
Watch for wide distribution to come soon!


Movie Cast

Writer:

Skin Mead (screenplay)


More Finding Hope Now  Staff and Cast on IMDB

The book

"Gangs to Jobs” tells how a program  helped transform the auto theft capital of California into a 2000 All-America City.
Inspired to action by the 1992 Los Angeles riots, the Rev. Roger Minassian began a journey from middle class pulpit to “the other America.”

What the author discovered led to the founding of Hope Now For Youth, an award-winning solution to gang crime and violence that since 1993 has placed nearly 1,700 gang members into jobs at 400 businesses, with an amazing 85% success and only 8% recidivism.



Helping us conquer fear most people have of gang members, the author allows the us to understand the causes of negative gang behavior. Minassian is instructive as he integrates stories of successful ex-gang members with practical steps citizens can follow in their own communities.

This book offers hope and a practical method of gang intervention. the book finishes explaining how this highly successful program was started and how it can be implemented elsewhere.


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