Many people come to Santa Barbara for its well-known treasures: our beaches, parks, cultural experiences and great weather. Recently, people have discovered one of our hidden community treasures — Zona Seca’s Youth CineMedia Program.

I am honored by the appointment to the Zona Seca Board of Directors, which for 37 years has played a valuable role in the local community, helping residents overcome substance abuse, violence, truancy and gang participation.

As we move beyond the one-year anniversary of the fatal State Street stabbing of Luis “Angel” Linares, a 15-year-old local boy, and with the growing problem of youth violence, Santa Barbara residents are faced with the need to come together as a community. I firmly believe we need to support programs that teach our youth varied and marketable skills upon which they can build a successful future.

Youth CineMedia is an outreach and intervention program that provides young people ages 13 to 19 the opportunity to learn about film production by developing skills in video production, photography, music engineering, graphic design, animation, editing, Web-design and T-shirt printing.

Zona Seca Executive Director Frank Banales has high hopes for the students that pass through his doors. He believes the program gives at-risk teens the chance to feel hopeful about their futures.

Mr. Banales and I share the same hopes for these teens — hopes that they will begin to look within themselves to see the talented, creative, valuable, capable individuals they are, ones who have bright futures regardless of their pasts.

Youth CineMedia has become a nationally and internationally recognized outreach program and has garnered the attention of several high-profile individuals, including two Nobel Peace Prize winners, Rigoberta Menchu and Desmond Tutu, a world-renowned foreign film director, and other city leaders.

El Paso City Council member Steve Ortega and City Services Coordinator Mark Alvarado were in town last month to exchange ideas on community-based programs and policies to combat crime and end youth violence. They personally observed the program and were very excited by what they saw.

The CineMedia students had the opportunity to show their documentaries and movies to the visitors. It was clear they were impressed by the skill and creativity with which the students used cutting-edge technology. The visitors from El Paso, which is a sister city of Santa Barbara, gave the students positive feedback on their work, noted the program’s clear motivational qualities, and even purchased a film from one of the young students.

Founder and director of Youth CineMedia, Osiris Castaneda, said it was exciting to see his students recognized by another city’s representatives. He said it allows them to realize that community leaders from a variety of areas value their achievements regardless of what area, or neighborhood, they come from.

More recently, world-renowned Argentinean filmmaker Fernando “Pino” Solanas — in town for a lecture at UCSB — visited with Ms. Castaneda and the students. The interaction gave the students a unique opportunity to receive a once-in-a-lifetime critique from one of the globe’s experts. Mr. Solanas was said to be very impressed with the caliber of work and commitment he observed in the students.

Santa Barbara is at the forefront in the fight against gang violence and now possesses a unique tool. Youth CineMedia not only provides a short-term impact on the lives of these young people by keeping them off the streets, but has the benefits of teaching them marketable, real-world skills that will serve them beyond their teenage years.

As a council member for the city of Santa Barbara for over six years, I have seen the attention gained by Youth CineMedia and the example it brings to other communities. It is my hope that such attention will ignite a continued support for the battle against youth violence from both city and regional residents. We need many more good programs that teach our youth the skills to be successful in life.

The author is a member of the Santa Barbara City Council.