Shelter: connect

Shelter | Written by Lee Schneider

I’m thrilled to announce the debut of Shelter: connect, the educational outreach initiative of the Shelter documentary.

Shelter: connect creates a virtual bridge between cultures, enabling design students in the U.S. to connect with communities in the developing world, sharing innovative design ideas to address urgent shelter needs. It is driven by a series of workshops Richard Neill and I will be leading.

A key player in the Shelter: connect initiative is our new hire – outreach coordinator Caroline Markowitz. Caroline is a recent Princeton University graduate. While at Princeton, she majored in history with a minor in environmental studies and was a four-year member of the varsity lacrosse team. She wrote her senior thesis about the World Bank funded Narmada Dam Project in India and the role of environmental and humanitarian NGOs and organizations in persuading the Bank to halt funding due to poor environmental and resettlement regulations.

To develop and launch the Shelter: connect initiative, Caroline is working with Caitlin Boyle, founder and president of film.sprout.  Film.sprout is a consulting and booking agency that helps documentaries achieve broader social impact. Caitlin developed and ran audience outreach on celebrated documentaries like King Corn, Pray the Devil Back to Hell, The End of the Line, A Small Act and Bag It. It’s wonderful to have her expert advice and guidance as we build out the Shelter: connect initiative. Caitlin is a pro who is respected throughout the industry.

Coming in January, look for some major design changes to this blog to accomodate the goals of Shelter: connect.  If you’re interested in learning more about the program, get in touch with Caroline in our San Francisco office.

Shelter: connect was piloted this past fall at the University of Minnesota’s College of Design and we look forward to launching it, and a short video about it, early next year.