Chris Day

IOWA FALLS

Chris Day and Brian Buchanan are on their way across the country. It’s not a buddy trip, but a chance to help kids find ways to deal with various problems–like bullies, cutting, and life-altering setbacks.

The two California men stopped in at Iowa Falls-Alden High School recently as part of a year long venture to show a film about key issues facing today’s teens. But more than a movie, the huge three section (45-feet wide total) movie screen and high tech sound system engulfed the viewer in a real experience. The sound track was loud and filled with the best of today’s music.

“The movie is about the choices kids have made and what they did to get out of the situation that decision put them in,” Buchanan explained.

Day added that the movie shows kids that what and who they are now will not be the same depending on decisions they make. “The movie is about how you face your future.

Buchanan and Day are with Camfel Productions, a company specializing in school assemblies. The two presented “Charting Your Course: A Guide To Self Leadership” before the entire high school in the IF-A Auditorium. They left Los Angeles in August, and are on the road every day. They performed in front of both state and public schools. Day said the program can begin with students as young as fourth grade. There are different versions for each grade level.

In a twist from the norm, little if any of the message was about drugs and alcohol.

“The first reaction is that the kids love the music,” Day said. “We chose songs that are on the radio right now to put a positive theme and maybe aren’t about drugs or alcohol. The second reaction is normally kids start thinking about their future. They see kids in the movie that may be in worse situations than they are, and it gets them thinking about how they can get through the situations they may be in.”

“It’s nothing they haven’t heard before,” Buchanan added. “But this year we’ve added cutting, which may be new to a lot of kids who aren’t familiar with it. But there is nothing new under the sun.”

The movie also addressed homelessness, abandonment, abuse, and violence, as well as excellence in academics and athletics.

“What you are about to see is probably one of the most important messages you’ll hear all year,” Day told the students. “You’ll see kids we interviewed from the last year we toured. They are real kids telling real stories. You’ll hear stories about the choices they made that put them in a negative situation, got them out of a negative situation, or helped them avoid a negative situation.”

“The only thing we ask is that listen to what they have to say,” Day added. “If that particular student in the movie is sharing something that doesn’t necessarily apply to your situation, remember that there’s people sitting next to you. And even though they may be your best friend, they may not feel comfortable sharing with you what’s going on in their life and this may be the very thing they need to hear.”

Contact news reporter Corey Meints at mmeints@fbx.com - Corey Meints