What is THE LEFT TURN?

​The Left Turn is a 26-minute documentary that shows the conditions and challenges of inner city life in Miami and how the life of two young men has been changed by a program called Empowered Youth. 

Empowered Youth Inc. is a nonprofit program founded by Colleen Adams in 2006. The program began as a mentoring program inside the Miami-Dade Juvenile Justice Detention Center. The community-based program, Empowered Youth Neighborhood (EYN), was founded in 2010, followed by Phase 2 of the program, a job development program called Empowered Youth Entrepreneurs (EYE), in 2011. Empowered Youth tries to provide a pathway to success for these "at-risk" young men by giving them guidance, exposure to positive events and people, and helping them to develop entrepreneurial skills. 

 

Why THE LEFT TURN?

The first time I met Damon was a Thursday night at the University of Miami. On first impression, he was a big African-American guy with a big smile who asked a lot of questions. He was curious about me and about China. And he said he wanted to marry an Asian woman someday.

 

Once, when we were relaxing in the backyard of a friend's house, he said, "Lynn, I have to have all my kids share the same blood. You know what I am saying?"

 

Damon was raised in a family with six brothers but no father. Except for the youngest two, all of them belong to different fathers.

 

"What would you want if you had a second life? ", I asked him.

 

"I still want the same mom and same brothers, but I want a father. That way we can all share the same blood." Damon said. 

 

I want to tell everyone the real stories behind these young men. If you see their struggles, their hopelessness, the way they've been raised, perhaps you will give them more forgiveness, perhaps you will understand them more, and perhaps you will also make a left turn the next time you are driving down on Biscayne Boulevard. In that way, perhaps more young men's lives can be changed. 

 

Something that I want to say

Being a journalist or a documentarian is not always easy, but it was a blessing everyday for me to work with these young men.

 

One day I was interviewing Alex's mentor, Carlos. He said: "I'm surprised, Lynn."

 

"Of what?"

 

"That Alex told you everything, you know? He never told anyone about his past; he didn't like to talk at all." I could not have felt more honored at that moment. I never realized how hard it could be for a man who went through so much in his life at such a young age to open his heart and talk to an Asian girl he met just a few weeks ago. Every story he told me was like a scar on his heart. I couldn't imagine how much courage it took to show me these scars. He trusted me to tell me his stories, and I can't betray this trust. 

 

​These young men are warriors, living in dire circumstances and still choosing to make changes, to have dreams, to keep going forward.

 

I appreciate everyone who helped me during the video production and also my two subjects: Damon and Alex, who trusted me and were honest with me. Through this documentary, I want to give them a voice, a voice that they never had before.I believe with all my heart that more people will hear them and will help them to continue to change. We may not be able to change the world, but each step is going to make this world better.

 

So are you with me?