Two Humanities and Bible programs work together to elevate the Unaware Project with the help of an anonymous donor

Assistant Professor of English Nathan Shank’s Unaware Project continues to allow students to advance their writing skills in a collaborative partnership.

Photo courtesy of oc.edu.

Two years ago, the Oklahoma Youth Academy Charter School and Oklahoma Christian University’s Language and Literature Program began a collaborative creative writing initiative that left more of an impact than ever imagined. Now, the Unaware Project continues to reach new heights: this year, with the help of a donor that wishes to remain anonymous, the Unaware Project will continue for years to come and be chronicled through a student-directed documentary. 

Since the project began, it has been through a few changes. In the past, Shank and students worked with only one class at the detention facilities. This year, the OC team plans on working with four. Because of the increase, managing those involved and keeping communication channels open will look different. Shank and OC students also plan on engaging with some new resources such as a well-known Oklahoma City artist and teacher, Angel Little, who will develop a visual art and music side to the project. OC’s Professor of Spanish Tina Ware will also lead a Spanish-language aspect of the project. 

The Unaware Project aims to offer care and hope to the juvenile inmates while providing real-world writing experience for students. Members of OC’s Language, Literature, and Communication Programs are hoping they can meet these goals through the documentary collaboration.

Shank noted that the gift from the anonymous donor changed the project drastically. 

“Having anonymous support has a providential feel,” he said. “It seems like invisible hands are pushing us forward. The donation legitimizes the project: it's no longer a whimsical class idea for service learning; it’s an ongoing effort grounded in the community and in research.” 

Shank also believes that the documentary will provide a different perspective than shown in the past. 

“The documentary's goal is to not just be an account of what's been happening with the Unaware Project but to be a source of hope for those involved---both for the students we're working with and for OC students, both for their hardworking staff and for ours,” he said. “Having a visual production will give life to the project in media that words alone can't do. I'm hoping that the documentary will bring more people into the collaboration.”

This semester, the documentary will start with filming interviews, with the production projected to be finalized in the Spring 2022 semester. For updates on the documentary, follow @occommdept on Instagram.