Our work / Youth civic docuseries

Working title · In development

The City
We Inherited.

Give a few Boise teenagers a real challenge: find out what kind of place their generation needs—and try to make it happen.

Concept image of three teenagers comparing an old photograph with brick storefronts on a Boise-inspired street
Illustrative image
The story

A city to explore.
A place to make their own.

Four to six Boise teenagers would set out with paid roles, cameras, archives, mentors, and access to the people who shape the city. Old photographs become clues. Familiar streets become questions. The team meets older Boiseans, visits the places young people choose today, and tests ideas for what could come next.

The series follows the friendships, jokes, surprises, attempts, and disagreements along the way. Young people learn to interview, research, make, negotiate, and present. Their investigation is the story.

The aim is to carry one credible proposal to people who can act—and show Boise what happens next.

Working season format

4–6
Paid principal participants
6 episodes
Approximately 12–20 minutes each
One real quest
A civic proposal with a next decision

A wider research circle and a separate production-apprentice pathway would let more young people contribute. The final scope and schedule will take shape during development.

The next investment

Help make the
first evidence possible.

$25,000

Proposed development goal

Help fund the paid work that turns the series idea into a credible production: a team, a promising civic quest, a short proof sequence, and a costed plan for the season.

Choose your one-time amount at checkout.

Secure checkout with Stripe. Gifts are received by Boise Civic Trust, Inc.

One founding underwriter or several supporters could help fund this phase.

What this phase produces

  • The right collaborators. Defined roles for production, participant support, research, and civic work.
  • A consequential question. A promising place or decision where young people’s findings could make a difference.
  • A proof of the story. Initial source material and a short sequence showing the project’s tone and potential.
  • A plan people can fund. A production schedule, season budget, and clear basis for deciding whether and how to proceed.
See the proposed $25,000 allocation
Working development budget
Work fundedAmount
Creative and civic producingDevelop the story, research, partnerships, civic question, schedule, and funding package.$12,000
Youth partnership developmentEstablish participant support, compensation, and a recruitment approach with an experienced partner.$3,000
Production planning and proofScope the crew and editing workflow and develop a short proof sequence.$3,000
Research and source preparationLocate historical material, establish permissions, and investigate possible civic decisions.$2,000
Legal, participant protection, and insurance setupPrepare the agreements and production arrangements the project needs.$2,000
Contingency and delivery overheadProvide for setup costs, access needs, and administration.$3,000
Proposed total$25,000

Planning figures, subject to final scopes and partner costs. This phase includes $12,000 for paid Boise Civic Trust creative and civic producing.

Development funding covers this first phase. Full-season production and any later physical or operating project require their own agreed scope and funding.

Build the team

Bring something
the story needs.

We’re assembling practical partnerships around the work. A useful contribution could be a defined role, expertise, access, equipment, or a real decision to investigate.

Explore a partnership

Production & creative

Help build a dependable field team: producing, camera and sound, apprentice mentorship, equipment, or postproduction.

Youth & participation

Help shape paid participation, recruitment, family communication, and ongoing support for the young people carrying the work.

History & archives

Bring photographs, maps, oral histories, historical knowledge, and access to sources that help the team understand earlier Boise.

Places & decisions

Open a place or a real question to investigation. Help connect what young people discover to someone able to act on it.

The series is in development; participant recruitment has not opened. Paid roles and support arrangements will be established before recruitment begins.

The people behind it

Local knowledge.
A filmmaker’s eye.

Eric Morrison is the creator, director, and lead editor. Boise Rising brings the civic question, local relationships, storytelling, and public platform. Boise Civic Trust, Inc. carries project funding, contracts, and institutional responsibility.

A professional field team and experienced youth partners would support the participants and production.

Meet Boise Civic Trust
Earlier Boise Rising work · Open Streets, 2025

A film about public life on Ustick Road. The docuseries proof sequence will be developed in the next phase.

Read the story behind the film

Let the discovery
shape what comes next.

The investigation might point to a gathering place, a better route, a change in how an existing space operates, or a place worth protecting. The answer will emerge through the work.

A supporter can help make that investigation possible now and consider a separate contribution toward a credible result later. Youth findings, professional advice, and a willing owner or institution would shape that next step.

Founding underwriters can receive agreed recognition and development updates. Public recognition is optional, and support preserves the independence of the investigation.

Help begin the story

What could we build together?

Talk with us about development funding, a practical partnership, or an introduction that could move the work forward.