Quaran Ahmad, a senior architecture major from Chicago and co-creator of the BURN documentaries is set to launch a summer youth program, the BURN Foundation, extending its impact beyond the screen.
The BURN documentaries began as a personal project by Ahmad to showcase the voices and perspectives, both well-known and lesser-known, of students at Howard.
Its final season culminated last year on March 29, at a sold-out exhibit called “The BURN Experience” at Dupont Underground.
“Being from another big urban city [Chicago], a lot of the issues that we deal with in our youth are very similar [to the youth in Chicago],” Ahmad said. “We see a lot of kids that are inherently very creative, but they don’t have many outlets to vocalize their talents.”
The film industry remains predominantly white, often lacking representation on and off the screen. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about only one in ten individuals who work in film identify as Black.
The BURN Foundation hopes to bridge that gap from the root, beginning with teens ages 14 to 18. Ahmad said he wishes he had a program like this growing up and wants to provide that for other teens.
“Being raised by a single mother and [involved] in camps and piano practice, things you involve your child in to make sure they’re on the right path and have a good cultural understanding of the world. That’s something that I want to provide with this program,” he said.
For Ayanna Mann, a senior physics major from Illinois, and treasurer of the BURN Foundation the lack of representation within certain fields isn’t just a statistic but her reality.
“[As someone] pursuing something niche like astrophysics, Black women specifically make up less than .01% of all physicists and astrophysicists and astronomers that have ever existed in the world. Like that alone speaks volumes to what accessibility and just knowing the opportunity exists out there can do.” Mann said.
The lack of representation in these fields highlights the value of providing young people with the tools and opportunities to pursue their interests, especially in industries where they are often underrepresented.
“The same thing exists for the arts. There’s a visibility problem,” Mann said.
The BURN Foundation seeks to change that. The summer program, which will run from June to July, aims to teach the art of documentary filmmaking and cinematography through a hands-on eight-week mentorship curriculum.
The participants will learn the key skills of video production, directing, teamwork and event budgeting. By the end of the summer, the mentees will host a private screening to showcase their documentaries.
As a full year approached since the conclusion of “BURN’s” third season, Ahmad reflected on the experience.
“I really didn’t want this to just die,” he said.
Determined to keep “BURN’s” legacy alive, Ahmad saw an opportunity to turn a college project into a program that could outlast his time spent at Howard.
“So I was thinking, let’s turn BURN from a little college project we did for fun and a couple [of] bucks to this youth program we can give to the kids in the DMV. To positively uplift them through creativity,” Ahmad said.
In creating his board of directors, Ahmad chose to have a diverse set of individuals who come from the DMV themselves, particularly ones with a background in non-profits. Ahmed shared that they come together through a passion for the mission.
“Everyone on the team is very motivated to make a difference out here through the arts and through BURN,” Ahmad said.
Grace Kolawole, the program director for the “BURN” documentaries and a leader within the Black Boys RBeautiful organization, met Ahmad when he mentored at the photography program.
The program aimed to build resilience in Black young men. She’s been a part of the foundation since then.
“What makes this organization different from others is that it’s charged by young people, by college students from Howard,” Kolawole said. “That’s special. They don’t have one pillar in the ground, but they’ve set time to build something for the youngins behind them.”
As Ahmad looks ahead to the launch of the program, he hopes it serves as more than a chance for the youth to learn technical skills, but to help them realize their potential.
“They never feel like the world is that big, and that everything in their reality can expand. We’re not going to solve all the world’s problems, but at least showcase that creativity can be fostered for good,” he said.
As the program moves forward, the team has been actively promoting the programs in local schools, including Sousa Middle School and Jackson-Reed High School.
“We’re working with schools and community programs that are [often] underfunded and understaffed, requiring a lot of patience,” Ahmad said.
They hope to gain more participation and financial support through sponsorships, fundraising events and platforms like their GoFundMe, which has a goal of 10 thousand dollars to sustain their initiatives.
With funding and their initiatives, they aim for the foundation to act as a launchpad for young storytellers.
As Maasia Apet, the foundation’s financial advisor said, “These are the next generation of storytellers here to reshape the film industry.”
As the foundation looks towards the future, Ahmad remains grounded in the creative spark that started it all.
“It’s like falling in love. You can’t control that. I couldn’t control being an artist. I couldn’t control making BURN, it just happened. Just create a love, and never fall out of love with it,” Ahmed said.
Copy edited by Anijah Franklin
