Justice for Immigrants: the National Catholic Campaign for Immigration Reform and The Jesuit Conference have launched a national video competition, “Migration, My Home, My Story,” calling on Catholics to reflect on how the reality of immigration today relates to their own reality.

Participants in the competition are invited to depict their personal answers to such questions as: As the United States continues to think about the role and future of immigrants in the United States, how does it relate to your reality? What is your family’s immigration story? What is your community’s immigration history? What does it mean to be an American in the land of immigrants? How does Catholic Social Teaching inform how we see ourselves relating to new Americans? How does it call our government to respond? How is your community responding?

The Parish and Social Justice Ministries Program of Catholic Charities Atlanta will serve as a local support by encouraging participation in the competition and providing packets of relevant information upon request.

Three national winners will be chosen for their creative, nonpartisan videos, which should illustrate the migration reality in their family or community. The video should also include some aspect of Catholic social teaching on migration.

Submissions should be between three and seven minutes long and appropriate for distribution among a church audience. Creativity and quality of the video will be considered in judging.

The national winners will receive a free flight, registration and lodging for the Ignation Family Teach-In on immigration March 14-17, 2009, in Washington, D.C.

There, winners will present their films and enjoy one-on-one time with a social media film-producer. The winning film will be considered for use in the Justice for Immigrants campaign.

Individuals are requested to post their videos on YouTube and send the link, along with their name, school or parish affiliation, e-mail address, phone number and mailing address to jfivideo@jesuit.org no later than Jan. 5, 2009.

Individuals across the country will be invited to weigh in on the vote electronically during the week of Jan. 15-23, 2009.

For more information about the contest, to view local video submissions, download the flyer and more, visit www.catholiccharitiesatlanta.org/jfiv.