About Our Film
When the mainstream fails, there’s always an Alternative
Synopsis
The short documentary “Alternative Learning” dives into the transformative impact of Oasis Skateboard Factory, an alternative school that reimagines education through creativity, entrepreneurship, and hands-on learning. By using skateboards as a unique teaching tool, the school equips teens with practical skills in marketing, business, English, and design. Through the perspectives of founder and professors Craig, Lauren and Erin, as well as the personal stories of current student Cole and alumni CJ and Bishop, the film reveals how Oasis empowers students to discover their passions, overcome challenges, and build confidence in their abilities. Cole reflects on his ongoing journey of self-discovery, while CJ and Bishop share how the school’s unconventional approach helped them become more comfortable with who they are and chart fulfilling paths beyond graduation. Combining candid insights, creative projects, and moments of personal triumph, this inspiring documentary challenges traditional notions of education and celebrates the life-changing potential of personalized, experiential learning.
Directors Statement
I never thought I would create this film.
I thought I was doing a simple pitch project, through a rough year of grieving at school. When I was at Oasis, they supported me through the loss I felt. They supported me more than I could ever ask for. After graduating, and going into the “real-world” the loss didn’t stop. What did stop was the immediate support I received. Don't get me wrong, thee people at Oasis felt like family, and they were never more than a phone call away, but my new environment just didn't offer the same support they could.
As I started moving through this new world, another loss hit me. I closed myself off to film making, to college, to new experiences and new friends. I tried to be a silent observer, making connections but not friends. I noticed through these weak connections that the pain I felt was not individual, and not secluded to the people I knew, but a universal experience. I also realized that my original support system at Oasis, the one I had the first time this had all happened to me, was in fact an individual experience.
I felt alone, but in a survivor's guilt sort of way. I just kept thinking to myself, why aren't more systems set up to support us? Why does it feel written in stone that when something goes wrong, everything must stop? Why can we struggle in one system, yet thrive in another? I've always believed Oasis’ learning style could be applied to any skill, and that it is truly beneficial for many who struggle. I wanted to use the resources I was given at Humber to spread this message, because that is what Oasis taught me to do.
Our universal struggle doesn't need to be all negative, we are the future, and we can build systems to support our youth. Oasis proves it.
I wrote my pitch eight months after the person who introduced me to Oasis passed away. I cannot do anything involving this film without thanking him, silently, in my head everytime.
Thank you Tristan.
-Miggy