Since 2013 KCFilmFest has partnered with the University of Missouri Kansas City, Communications Studies to offer REEL SPIRIT FILMMAKING CAMPS for upper elementary/middle school students. Both camps provide opportunities for students to conceive and create their own films, as a medium for empowerment, self expression and social change.  Held in the UMKC production studio of the Communications Studies Department and taught by Reel Spirit, Kansas City FilmFest International and University film professors, students work in teams of two in order to write, film, and edit their own short film. Learning opportunities include hands-on activities with brainstorming ideas, script writing, story boarding, using digital cameras, boom microphones, and computers for editing.