Finding the Gold Within, a film that, according to the director, “probes what it means to be young, black, male, and ‘other’,” enjoyed its world premiere this week at the Mill Valley Film Festival in Marin County, California.

In Finding the Gold Within, filmmaker Karina Epperlein follows six young men as they enter their first year of college. Each has personal circumstances to overcome as he works to escape the straitjacket of contemporary stereotypes, and each has participated from sixth- grade on in a myth-centered mentoring program that fosters self-reflection, confidence, critical thinking, and living an authentic life. As they face a whole new level of obstacles and challenges armed only with their dreams and stories, the film asks, “Will each be able to find the gold within?

Alchemy, Inc., founded by G. Kwame Scruggs, Ph.D., is a nationally recognized nonprofit program based in Akron, Ohio that employs myths and drumming rituals to help at-risk urban youth develop a sense of purpose in their lives. Alchemy has touched the lives of over 1,500 male adolescents; in 2012 Alchemy received the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award in 2012, presented at the White House by Michelle Obama.

Coming on the heels of a summer filled with racial tension, Finding the Gold Within illustrates the value of tending to myth in contemporary culture.

Learn more about the film: http://goldthefilm.com/

Explore Alchemy: http://alchemyinc.net/