Building LILANGELES: Making the 1st Video Letter

HOLA students review their first video letter from Paris and begin making their first video letter response.

Screenshot from the first Les Lilas video letter on top. Screenshot from the first HOLA video letter response at the bottom. Both groups are playing in their center's neighborhood but 5,643 miles away.

In April, Christine introduced the video letter project to our HOLA teens and showed them the first video letter sent to them from the Les Lilas students! The first video letter received was about showcasing their environment – what is daily life like in Les Lilas? What does their world look like and what are some of their personal narratives?

The Les Lilas students introduced themselves through a video letter focused on filming their surroundings and the way they interact within them. They spoke in French and had English captions, narrating stories and speaking to each other.

In response, with the guidance of Christine, HOLA students filmed their favorite places in the MacArthur neighborhood in groups. With narration and taking turns filming each other, the students were able to capture the daily elements of their world.

At the end of the video letter, they spoke about memories they hold in their favorite places and posed questions to their Les Lilas penpals. With Christine's expertise in organizing the footage and audio through video editing, HOLA's first video letter was ready to send to Paris.