Film Library: Children

MARSH FORK ELEMENTARY

APRIL 2010

Meet the children of Marsh Fork Elementary in Sundial, West Virginia. The very coal mining that supports the community also threatens the local students.

MANYARA SCHOOL

JULY 2005

Join in on explore's first ever philanthropic journey, the effort to build a school for the Maasai Tribe in Tanzania.

CHICAGO FILM FESTIVAL

OCTOBER 2008

In addition to cooking classes, Common Threads also offers a summer camp with lessons in dance, organic gardening, and cultural traditions. As part of its cultural program, the organization brings low-income and at-risk youth out of their neighborhood on field trips to cultural events. On a trip to see Explore's screening of The Arctic at the Chicago International Film Festival, Charles Annenberg Weingarten gets some clever questions from his young audience and encourages them to "never stop learning."

THE ART OF HEALING VIOLENCE

JUNE 2007

Taught how to express their feelings with shapes and colors, the children at the Queen Rania Family and Child Center in Jordan use paint, brushes, and paper to build confidence in their emotions and discover their dignity and identity. The art program, along with other activities such as group yoga and drama class, teaches the children to trust themselves, and builds the self-confidence necessary to deal with traumatic experiences like child abuse and domestic violence.

DR. DOG

NOVEMBER 2006

Education and personal growth can come in many forms. The Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation brings dogs into schools to help children break through their shyness, especially the developmentally challenged. Children with ADD, autism, and other developmental disabilities improve their speaking and social skills with the help of the program.

THE HOUSE OF WHEELS

JUNE 2007

Being a child with special needs is difficult. Being a parent of that child contains even more unique challenges, most of which we cannot imagine. At House of Wheels in Jerusalem, parents are given a much-needed weekend to rest and relax while the kids are at the center, engaging in social activities and feeling free to be themselves.

JACK JOHNSON: LEARNING THROUGH SONGS

FEBRUARY 2008

While visiting Sunset Beach Elementary School, Jack Johnson explains how music can be a beautiful way to approach problems and deal with important issues. Music has the ability to transform anger into calm meditation, and can even develop into life philosophies, he says.

JACK JOHNSON: MUD FOOTBALL - GOING TO SCHOOL

FEBRUARY 2008

Jack Johnson performs his song "Mud Football" and shares one of the stories behind the lyrics.

JACK JOHNSON: GRAVITY'S GOT A HOLD ON US ALL - SELFLESSNESS

FEBRUARY 2008

Charles Annenberg Weingarten asks Jack Johnson why it is important to be selfless and gets a lyrical reply: We're all interconnected, he says. "Gravity's got a hold on us all."

SIBUSISO SCHOOL

JULY 2005

In Tanzanian society, disabled children are often kept out of the public eye by their families because handicaps are considered taboo, or punishments from God. The Sibusiso School seeks to restore the dignity of these children by working to develop their potential, counseling their families, and reaching out to educate their communities.

KIRAN CENTRE

NOVEMBER 2006

At the Kiran Centre in Varanasi, India, children do not have disabilities, but different abilities. By focusing on hope and growth, and working closely with parents, the Centre empowers differently-abled children to lead healthy, happy, and fulfilling lives.

GIFT OF MUSIC

NOVEMBER 2006

At the Kiran Centre in Varanasi, music classes for differently-abled people serve to unlock their talents. Students not only discover a new form of artistic and emotional expression, but many turn their new skills into a way to support themselves.