About Oinya's Prize
Mahir and Ahir, the parents of three children — Oinya, Iora, and Caroline — return home after an extended absence. Once settled at home, they attempt to return to their normal lives, but find they can’t, due to the lasting effects of trauma on the Ahir (the father) and, indirectly, on Mahir (the mother). A trophy won by the elder daughter Caroline, symbolizing the family unit, becomes the object of her younger sister Oinya's obsession.
The crisis of the short occurs when Oinya finally has the trophy in hand. As she triumphantly attempts to show her new prize to the family, she bumps into her mother Mahir, dropping the trophy and seeing it shatter. It appears the family may be close to their own breaking point as well. In a moment of clarity, Ahir’s discovery of his own inner strength rallies the family, and they pull together, reshaping the trophy into something new. As he begins to pick up the pieces, he realizes this is exactly what the family needs.
One by one the family members join Ahir and they all begin to create something new. Inspired by a new sense of possibility, the family works together and end up creating a beautiful bowl in the shape of a heart. We see healing begin to take place and are left with the message that while some things cannot be put back the way they were before, they can be transformed into something new that has its own beauty.
So Who is Drawn from Valor?
Drawn from Valor is a non-profit animation studio with a passion for helping children and families impacted by medical and mental health conditions. We partner with subject matter experts to create free resources that educate through engaging animated storytelling. We take viewers on empowering journeys to help them manage their conditions and live longer, healthier, happier lives.
Our creative team is made up of a core group of artists and writers with a long-standing passion for visual storytelling, while our administrative and social outreach teams are tireless in their pursuit of the means to connect people, not only to one another, but to the resources necessary to lead better lives.
Our first project, Kara & the (Not So) Dire Beastie, was completed in the summer of 2018 in partnership with Dr. Angelina Bernier, a pediatric endocrinologist from the University of Florida. This 8-episode series, available in both English and Spanish, was created to empower and educate children and their families in managing type 1 diabetes. The 28-minute project is part of Dr. Bernier's New Onset Diabetes Educator (NODE), an interactive website and eBook designed to help patients and their families understand type 1 diabetes, increase access to resources in remote locations, and help them retain important facts and recommended practices ultimately leading to improved health.
Why is Animation so Special?
Younger kids often lack the tools or vocabulary to discuss and confront personal issues that are new to them. Animation is a safe, familiar way for them to explore similar problems and solutions. We know that with education, people are empowered to make healthier choices and children grow up to be stronger individuals. Studies have shown that children learn and understand material better — and faster — when it is presented in animated form. They say a picture is worth a thousand words; one second of animation can literally be up to 30 pictures or more.
The Impact of PTSD / Trauma
According to the National Center for PTSD, 60% of men and 50% of women will experience some form of trauma in their lives. Of those, varying percentages are at risk for developing PTSD based on the type of trauma they experienced (ranging from an estimated 3.8% impacted by natural disaster to 49% of rape survivors). Additionally anywhere from 14% to 43% of kids have or will encounter a traumatic event in their life. Of those children and teens who have experienced trauma, between 3% — 15% of girls and 1% — 6% of boys develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Because there is such a great need, we have now begun work on our long-term series, The Tales of the Golden Acorn, beginning with Oinya's Prize. This important series focuses on the impacts and effects of PTSD and trauma on families, shares the various paths to healing, and consistently returns to the core message there is always room for hope.
Drawn from Valor wants people to know they and their loved ones are not alone. For this reason, we are kicking off this project on June 27, National PTSD Awareness Day to literally draw attention to PTSD while raising money to make Oinya's Prize.
Why is Oinya's Prize Important?
Our goal is to give caregivers, children, friends, and their families the tools to learn important information whenever, wherever, and however they want. The animated worlds we create help make complex medical and mental health information accessible to children, and the fantastical stories we tell help them confront personal issues they may not normally feel comfortable addressing, or lack the tools to discuss on their own.
The Risks & Challenges of Creating Oinya's Prize
To make a ten minute short like this, our artists and team put in about 3.33 hours of time per second of finished animation. Additionally, each second of animation costs approximately $225. We've set an ambitious goal of $50,000 to begin to fund this 10-minute short film. We know that it will take a lot of work to get there, but we believe we can with your help. But even if we fall short, every dollar you donate to Oinya's Prize will go directly to the cost of animating the project. We are committed to helping kids and families learn about the many paths to healing when dealing with PTSD or trauma in a family setting. We hope you are too!
Exciting Reward Levels
Now that you've heard all about our exciting project, it's time to get to the fun stuff — the reward tiers! We have some fantastic rewards in store for you. Have you ever wondered what you would look like as a squirrel? You're in luck!! Ever wanted to be the voice in a cartoon? We have that for you, too! There's hopefully a bit of everything for everyone, and we'll be offering a couple of special, limited-time-only rewards along the way. There are levels priced for everyone, and all contributions will get a downloadable coloring book page, so you can draw along with us.
Join in the Fun!
We want you to get involved and draw along with us as we raise funds to bring the short from pre-production to the big screen. Between now and August 10, you can upload your hope-themed art or coloring book pages to social media using the hashtags #drawnfromvalor and #Draw4Hope. We will be hosting weekly online live art events called “Draw-Alongs” focused on different hope-themed hashtags on Drawn from Valor’s Facebook and Instagram feeds. We hope you'll share your own art with us and help us draw awareness to PTSD and the message that, no matter how dire a situation may seem, there is always a reason to hope!
We deeply believe in the importance of producing this work, but we can’t do it alone. Making our work freely available means that we rely on the generosity of people like you to help us make this happen. Whether you can offer skills and time as a volunteer, or financial support, any contribution large or small helps us provide those in need with the information to lead longer, healthier, happier lives.
