The Jesuit Conference of the Society of Jesus in the United States and Justice for Immigrants have partnered to invite people to put their stories, reflections and ideas about migration on video by participating in a contest about immigration that runs through Jan. 12, 2009.

“While the United States government has failed to fix our broken immigration system, we want to hear from people whose families and communities are grappling with the issue right now,” said Jill Marie Gerschutz, migration policy director for the Jesuit Conference. “What is the reality for migrants in the U.S. today? This video contest is an opportunity for people to pick up a camera and add their voices to the immigration debate.”

Two winning videos will be selected that tell non-partisan stories about the migration realities of their families and communities. All videos will be required to include aspects of Catholic Social Teaching on migration and should be between three to seven minutes in length. Criteria such as creativity, quality of the video and appropriateness for the Church audience will be considered in judging.  

First prize winners will receive a free flight, registration and lodging to the Ignatian Family Teach-In on Immigration from March 13-16, 2009 in Washington, D.C. Winners will present their videos at the conference and will have an opportunity to meet one-on-one with a social media video producer. The winning film will also be considered for use in the Justice for Immigrants campaign – the Catholic Campaign for Immigration Reform.

Entries should be posted on YouTube.com with the link to the submission, name, school or parish affiliation, email address, phone number and home address to [email protected] no later than Jan. 12, 2009.  Individuals from across the U.S. will be allowed to weigh in by voting electronically via the Justice for Immigrants website, www.justiceforimmigrants.org, during the week of Jan. 15 – 23, 2009.