In the spring of 2003, three young southern California filmmakers traveled to Northern Uganda in search of an adventure and a story. What they got was a social responsibility to improve the lives of thousands of children.

Since then, Jason Russell, Bobby Bailey, and Laren Pool, founders of the non-profit organization Invisible Children Inc., have turned their experiences into not only a film, but also a worldwide humanitarian movement.

Volunteers from Invisible Children Inc. will bring that movement to the University of Dayton Thursday with a screening of the film "Invisible Children: Rough Cut". The film will be shown in the Kennedy Union's West Ballroom at 7 p.m. The volunteers will be available after the movie to answer questions about the issues facing Uganda's "invisible children".

For the past 21 years, a war between the Northern Ugandan government and the Lord's Resistance Army, LRA, has resulted in an entire generation of Ugandan children never experiencing peace.

The rebel movement began in 1980 with leader Alice Lakwena. Lakwena claimed the Holy Spirit told her to overthrow the Ugandan government. When the Holy Spirit Movement gained momentum, Lakwena was exiled and left Joseph Koney in control of the renamed LRA.

The LRA's need for troops has led to the abduction and indoctrination of children. The film "Invisible Children" and movement that has followed try to shed light on this problem.

"Invisible Children" portrays the lives of the child night commuters, ages three to 17, afraid to sleep in the camps the government has provided. The camps were formed to prevent any more abduction of children from villages. However, these camps are not well protected and are overcrowded, spreading diseases. It also shows the lives of the child soldiers, who make up 90 percent of the LRA's troops.

According to their web site, Invisible Children's mission is to, "Improve the quality of life for war-affected children by providing access to quality education, enhanced learning environments, and innovative economic opportunities for the community."

Volunteer Filipe Miranda, who will be on hand at the UD screening, says there are many ways to get involved and help Invisible Children with their mission.

"There are multiple ways to help out, the most important of which are learn about the situation and spread awareness," he said.

Miranda encourages students across the country to use their connections in their communities to coordinate fund-raising activities, and to pressure their political representatives to take action on this issue.

"Ask for the continued support of the peace talk and putting together resources to get people out of the camps and back into their homes," Miranda said.

For more ways to help Invisible Children Inc. visit their website at www.invisiblechildren.com.

Mandy Murphy is a University of Dayton student.