Portfolio

A Vision of Grace (2025)

Director

A Vision of Grace is a powerful short documentary born from a collaboration between the upEND Movement and Montrose Grace Place. The film follows Youth Voices Empowered (YVE), a vibrant youth-led advocacy initiative amplifying the voices of young people experiencing housing insecurity in Houston.


The upEND Podcast
upEND Movement

Producer – Writer – Designer

Reclaiming Safety (with Angela Burton) The upEND Podcast

Welcome to Season 3 of The upEND Podcast where we’ll be answering all of your burning questions about family policing abolition!If we get rid of the child welfare system, what will happen when children are harmed? Are abolitionists saying that child abuse is okay? Reclaiming Safety is upEND’s new anthology series answering important, frequently asked questions and proposing effective, humane responses to crises that occur in our communities. To introduce the series, we talk to the editor of Reclaiming Safety, Angela Burton. About Our Guest: Angela Burton is a renowned community lawyer, scholar, and public servant with over thirty years of experience advocating for the rights of parents and children in the family policing system, commonly known as the child welfare system. Her commitment to social justice is driven by a deep understanding of the systemic inequities faced by vulnerable families. Angela has consistently fought to protect the human, constitutional, and civil rights of marginalized individuals, ensuring their voices are heard, their experiences valued, and their expertise centered in catalyzing and implementing change.Episode Notes: Support the work of upEND: upendmovement.org/donateEpisode Transcript: upendmovement.org/podcast/episode301/ Read Reclaiming Safety: upendmovement.org/safety Angela mentions the Repeal CAPTA campaign.Angela co-wrote an article with Angeline Montauban called “Toward Community Control of Child Welfare Funding: Repeal the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act and Delink Child Protection from Family Well-Being.”Angela cites the work of MJ Maleeka Jihad, Narrowing the Front Door, JMAC for Families, and Parents Supporting Parents.Connect with Angela on LinkedIn and Instagram. Credits: Hosted by Josie Pickens and Jaison OliverProduced by Sydnie MaresMixed by Imani Crosby
  1. Reclaiming Safety (with Angela Burton)
  2. Why We Need Abortion Doulas (with Ash Williams)
  3. Adult Preschool (with Nalo Zidan)
  4. Cops in Cardigans (with Erica Meiners)
  5. Unbuild Walls (with Silky Shah)

upEND Movement Resources

Graphic Design – Writing

Development

Graphic Design – Writing – Strategy

upEND Movement 2023 Report
The Easter Project at Clear Lake United Methodist Church
Love Your Neighbor at Justice For Our Neighbors
Texas Recovers at the Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church
Hope Rises Campaign at Clear Lake United Methodist Church

Sydnie Dan’el Mares is a creator committed to supporting and uplifting marginalized communities through an abolitionist lens. Sydnie uses her experience in graphic design, video production, and communications to build a future free of carceral systems where Black, LGBTQ, and immigrant communities can thrive.