Dawn Valadez

Dawn Valadez

Class of 1988

Since graduating from UCSC with my degrees in Women’s Studies and Psychology (’88) I have worked in the non-profit, social services field with children, youth, families and service providers in a variety of settings.  As a social worker (MSW, UC Berkeley, 1992) I utilize community service, media literacy and production, art making, and community forums/ dialogues as methods for young people and other community members to have a voice in our communities.  I served as the co-founder for a nationally recognized AmeriCorps program, BAYAC (documented in the film, Everyday Heroes, 2000 by Rick Goldsmith and Abby Ginzberg) in the San Francisco Bay Area.  I served on numerous community boards and advisory groups.

I am the producer and co-director on the award-winning documentary, GOING ON 13. The film screened at film festivals around the world, on public television in the US, Europe, and Asia and at community events, conferences, schools, and youth organizations.  Together with staff from New Moon Magazine we developed the 38-page study guide that accompanies the film. I lead youth and adult dialogues on the issues raised in the film.

Films I advise on are TRUST: Second Acts in Young Lives (about childhood sexual abuse, immigration, and theater) and LICENSE TO PIMP (about exotic dancers and the coercion they experience to go into prostitution). Currently, I am in production on TURN IT AROUND (working title), a film about gang-impacted youth as they work to become the next generation of public school teachers. Recently I received the Bay Area Video Coalition’s (BAVC) Mediamaker Award for this new project and will be a mediamaker fellow for the coming year.

Valadez Productions is my consulting business. We provide fund development; grant writing; strategic planning; training; staff, board and program development; and communications and PR including multi-media and social networking tools to non-profit, education, and health organizations. I am always on the look out for interns! I can be reached at 510-326-0309 or dawnvaladez@gmail.com


See Also