2018 STEVE GRUETZMACHER HOMELESS AWARENESS ESSAY CONTEST
  • Welcome
  • Contest
    • About Steve
    • The Zinedine Colombant Lightness Award
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    • Judges
    • Apply
    • Submit
  • Youth Voices
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The Zinedine Colombant Lightness Award

​Nico Colombant is a journalism instructor at the University of Nevada, Reno. He has been documenting homelessness in Reno for the past few years and has been encouraging his students to do the same, providing a publication outlet with his Our Town Reno project. 

In 2016, Nico completed a short documentary about youth homelessness in Reno, profiling a young woman who had lived on the streets of Reno for a year, while finishing high school and starting college. The film, Invisible Girl, is a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable hardship.

Nico was planning the premiere screening of Invisible Girl in October 2016 when his son Zinedine, a five-year-old, suddenly and unexpectedly passed away from an up-to-then undetected heart condition. It was a devastating loss, one which might cause most parents to retreat into grief, but Nico pressed forward with the screening, feeling that his continuing advocacy for the homeless was the best way he could honor the memory of his son Zinedine – a name that means “the one who makes others progress” in Arabic.

This award honors Zinedine Colombant and those who work to help others progress.
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  • Welcome
  • Contest
    • About Steve
    • The Zinedine Colombant Lightness Award
    • Guidelines
    • Suggested Topics
    • Judges
    • Apply
    • Submit
  • Youth Voices
  • Book
  • Resources
    • Other Resources
    • History
    • Youth Homelessness
    • Veterans
    • Affordable Housing
    • The Future of Work
    • The Empathy Crisis
    • Exploitation
    • Racism
    • Sustainability
    • Substance Abuse
  • Blog
  • Community
    • Forum
    • Global Perspectives
    • Chicago, IL
    • Cincinnati, OH
    • Dallas, TX
    • Eugene, OR
    • Harlingen, TX
    • Houston, TX
    • Los Angeles, CA
    • Nashville, TN
    • Philadelphia, PA
    • Pittsburgh, PA
    • Portland, OR
    • Reno, NV
    • Silicon Valley, CA
    • St. Louis, MO
    • Tampa, FL
  • Advocacy
  • Contact
    • Future Contests