Juvenile Probation System Film Program Gives Harris County Teens Another Creative Chance — How Making Movies Makes a Difference

A filmmaking program is giving teenagers in Harris County’s juvenile probation system a new creative outlet. Led by filmmaker and instructor Dan Gordon, the program gives students aged 15 to 18 experience with camera operation, creative writing, acting and directing.

Since the start of the program in the summer of 2022, students have written, filmed and produced two short films through residencies led by Gordon. The first piece was inspired by Tupac Shakur’s collection of poems called A Rose That Grew From the Concrete. It also serves as a semi-autobiographical telling of the many difficulties these teens in the juvenile probation system have encountered in their lives.

Entitled Closer to the Sun, the movie features a rap with lyrics written and performed by the kids. The lyrics reference absent fathers, mothers dealing with substance abuse and incarcerated siblings. The teenagers brought their words to life by acting out the scenes described in the lyrics while wearing theater masks to protect their identities. 

“They were able to express their feelings and their anger and their resentment for growing up in certain situations,” Gordon tells PaperCity. “Those feelings were expressed in a positive way through film. As opposed to expressing it in a more violent or non-productive way.” 

From beginning to end, the creative process was driven by the interests and intentions of the teens. That’s where the Tupac references started — the teenagers enjoyed his music. So Gordon began incorporating studies of Tupac’s poetry, discography and life into the lessons.

It inspired the students to write their own poetry, and eventually led to the creation of Closer to the Sun. 

The second movie produced is entitled Border Life, which tells the story of a kid whose parents are deported who then goes on to become a border patrol agent himself. As a border patrol agent, he allows a pregnant woman through because he recalled the difficulties his own mother faced when trying to bring him to the United States.

Eventually, he leaves his job as a border patrol agent to open his own business alongside the woman. 

Gordon’s program is particularly impactful because it serves teenagers who have likely had limited, if not nonexistent access, to artistic outlets. Many are accustomed to constant criticism and punishment as a result of their mistakes, and this film program offers a new uplifting way to exercise their creativity. 

“It’s a completely different framework from what they might have experienced by being in a probation center,” Gordon notes. 

The circumstances of the program have posed some challenges. Students may become truant, leading to a high turnover rate with kids constantly coming in and out of the program at various stages. Newcomers often have a difficult time fitting into the pre-existing dynamic. Still, by taking the time to listen to the students’ creative suggestions and building trust with them throughout the course of the program, Gordon is able to help them create an end product that expresses their ideas and gives them a voice through filmmaking.

That often creates a powerful and resounding impact. It also demonstrates the value of arts education for the well-being of all young people. 

“I do know that the young people that come to my programs are excited to come,” Gordon says. “They find meaning in it. They learn writing skills. They learn technical skills. And they’re able to share those skills and feel proud of their work. And that’s enough.”

Funding for the first residency was provided by a substantial grant from the Central Mission Endowment Fund from St. Philip Presbyterian Church, along with funding from the Texas Commission on the Arts. The second residency was funded by the Harris County Department of Education, the Cameron Foundation and the Texas Commission on the Arts. But Gordon hopes to do many more programs.

For more information and to support future projects, residencies and programs, visit the Gordon Education Initiatives for the Performing Arts here.