Joey Travolta Film Camp, which is run by John Travolta’s brother Joey Travolta, is a film camp for people with Autism. At this camp, Joey, along with volunteers, teaches people between the ages of 8 and 28, the great art of film making, and exposes them to all the components of it – writing screenplays, operating a camera, casting, wardrobe, and several other elements that require collaborating on a film. Travolta, who used to be a special education teacher, helped make a student with Autism make a short documentary called “Normal People Scare Me” in 2003, and that’s how he started getting into teaching film making.

The camp is held in Pittsburgh at Winchester Thurston High School for two weeks, and consists of three different age groups. Each group produces a movie based on a set theme during camp. Similar workshops are also held in New Jersey, Florida, and California.

The camp costs $1,800, however, The Arts for Autism Foundation of Pittsburgh, which hosts this camp, has $20,000 that is used for providing scholarships to students. In the adult class, Joey also teaches soft skills, life skills, and social skills needed for film making. So, even if the student doesn’t become a filmmaker, they still utilize those skills in daily life. Joey also helps students find production jobs, and internships after camp.

The camp, which started with 12 campers in 2011 has had many students come back every year. The foundation plans to open a career training program, most likely an year long with 16 week trimesters, to help individuals get into the film making industry.

See the videos below to find out more about the film camp and The Arts for Autism Foundation of Pittsburgh.

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette