Our Projects
Here are some of Brats Without Borders's past, present, and future projects!
UNCLASSIFIED: The Military Kid Art Show is a joint project of the Military Kid Art Project™ and Brats Without Borders; a contemporary art exhibit, celebrating and exploring the Military Brat subculture. Winner of the Newman's Own award for breaking the mold and creating innovative programs that improve the quality of life for military families, past and present. This exhibit is currently touring the country.
Operation Military Brat has sponsored over 100 free screenings of BRATS: Our Journey Home around the world and on AFN Television in 178 countries (except the United States), reaching thousands of viewers. We've also distributed Military Brats Library to schools and libraries that serve large populations of military brats. You can now donate a gift of BRATS: Our Journey Home to your favorite school or library.
Our Own Private Battlefield is a documentary work-in-progress by BRATS filmmaker Donna Musil about how one Marine family is healing the inter-generational effects of war and PTSD through art and film. You can see a 7-minute clip from this work-in-progress at Vimeo.
A Brats Without Borders BRATS Clubs™ is a safe place for children of active duty, reserve, and former military and military-connected personnel to gather, grow, and support each other through social, leadership, and community service activities. Led by adult "brats" who truly understand, these clubs give brats a place to call "home" - a place to have fun, while learning about their heritage. There are also adult BRATS Clubs!
Created in 2009, Brats Without Borders "BRATS 1.0" Educate-the-Educator Workshops™ are the only workshops in the country developed and presented by adult military "brats" who have walked-the-walk. These workshops examine everything from the child's point-of-view: mobility, deployment, reintegration, PTSD, death and injury, even the racial alienation some feel when moving. We also offer workshops for military teens preparing to transition out of the military or home from an overseas assignment.
Military BRAT Art Camp™ is a joint project of the Military Kid Art Project™ and Brats Without Borders. Marine Corps brat and artist Lora Beldon and other professional artists who were raised in military families lead these customized art classes and STEM/STEAM curriculum. It's all about fun, making connections, and expressing oneself - while raising awareness of the Military Brat subculture.
Truman's Kids is a documentary work-in-progress by BRATS filmmaker Donna Musil about the long-term effect on military children of President Truman's 1948 Executive Order integrating the United States military. How has this "grand experiment" fared? How did living in integrated neighborhood 20 years before the Civil Rights Movement affect brats? Are they different from more rooted children? Can this experiment be replicated in other contentious areas? These are just a few of the questions this film will address.