ReeLife Movie Camp, up and running since 1998, was founded by Loren Smith, a very energetic and dedicated youth advocate and film producer. Our mission is to empower disenfranchised youth, through self-expression and the art of film, to explore and connect with the world they live in and make positive changes in their lives and their community. Using the creative media of writing and video, our program gives students a safe forum for raising questions and speaking out about racial, cultural, social, and political issues.

ReeLife Movie Camp is an innovative program teaching life skills, teamwork, and leadership skills to disenfranchised youth through filmmaking. Youth come to our programs from the immigrant populations, detention centers, Native American reservations, and low-income regions throughout Northern California. Working together as a team under the guidance of some of the area's top filmmakers, students learn to write, produce, and distribute films based on their life experiences and the challenges they face from within their communities. Alumni of our program tell us that their experience in ReeLife has changed the way they see the world and their role in their community.

“This program was the first consistent thing in my life. There were other things out there, but the people running them never really stuck with it through the hard times . . .At home and at school no one ever seemed to want to take the time to be there for us- emotionally and physically. When I’m making film, I really feel like I’m doing something right for a change. People see the films and they finally understand me and my family and what we’re about.”