OUCARES, Joey Travolta celebrate decade milestone of film camp for young people with autism

OUCARES, the Oakland University Center for Autism’s outreach services, will soon celebrate a decade of partnership with actor, director and writer Joey Travolta during the 10th Anniversary of the OUCARES Film Camp for young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The camp will run from Aug. 10-21 at OU’s Pawley Hall and is open for individuals ages 10-20 with autism, as well as their siblings or peers. The camp gives participants a chance to fully dive into the creative arts, with the main goal of encouraging people with autism to overcome their challenges while writing, directing, editing and starring in their own film.

In recent years, Travolta – a former special education teacher before entering the film and media industry – helped Oakland develop the OUCARES Practical Film Workshop for adults with autism and other developmental disabilities.

“The reason I created the camp was to give people with autism a voice, and that’s what filmmaking does – it teaches life skills vocal skills and social skills,” said Travolta. “It’s such a great experience watching the students grow a little each time.”

The film camp at OU has been running since January 2014, thanks to generous support from a grant from the state of Michigan. It was also the first workshop of its kind outside of California, where Travolta began the program, and is now in its third session.

OUCARES Director Kristin Rohrbeck said the biggest benefit to young people with autism who participate in the film camp is the opportunity to socialize and engage with peers in a group setting while working towards a shared goal and having fun.

“This camp allows the campers to learn more about the art of filmmaking while expanding their communication and interpersonal skills,” said Rohrbeck. “They learn all aspects of filmmaking, from formulating the idea to set design, to acting, to camerawork, lighting and more during the two week camp.”

At the film camp, leaders and volunteers focus on the strengths of each individual rather the challenges they may face because of their autism diagnosis.

“Young people on the spectrum are given an opportunity to express themselves, be creative, socialize, and learn film-making in a safe and understanding environment. This helps build confidence and self-esteem in each camper,” said Rohrbeck, “especially when they are able to successfully contribute to the short film that will be shown off to their family and the community at our Red Carpet Film Premiere on Oct. 24.”

Tickets for the film premiere, which is open to the public, will be on sale beginning Wednesday, Aug. 21, on the OUCARES website.

Since its inception, OUCARES has offered camps, programs and events that have helped thousands of individuals with ASDs and their families.

“From recreational sports programs to the evening enrichment series to our Practical Film Workshop, OUCARES strives to improve the quality of life of individuals with autism, their families, and our community,” Rohrbeck explained.

In early July, the Center for Autism opened the doors for a new Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Autism Clinic, a nonprofit clinic that is dedicated to individualized treatment and student-assisted research related to autism.

To learn how to volunteer for this year’s film camp, or for more information, call (248) 370-2424, email oucares@oakland.edu or visit www.oakland.edu/oucares.