Film Library: Children

HERO (00:03:55)

• JULY 2005

A woman of boundless love abandons the life she knew to start an orphanage in Ethiopia. Starting with a child she picked up from a dead mother's body, she now cares for over 5,000 children. An inspiration to us all.

CHICAGO FILM FESTIVAL (00:01:45)

• 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."

JACK JOHNSON: LEARNING THROUGH SONGS (00:01:46 )

• 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 (00:03:14)

• 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 (00:01:52 )

• 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."

THE ART OF HEALING VIOLENCE (00:09:09)

• 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.

THE HOUSE OF WHEELS (00:02:28)

• 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.

RESCUE FOUNDATION VOL. 2 (00:04:49)

• NOVEMBER 2006

I came to India looking for a sage. I found it hidden in the souls of three adolescent girls sold into slavery. Meet the Rescue Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to freeing girls from Mumbai brothels.

DR. DOG (00:02:54)

• 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.

KIRAN CENTRE (00:12:35)

• 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 (00:00:56)

• 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.

RAMANA'S GARDEN (00:11:03)

• NOVEMBER 2006

India is a land of startling contrasts and inequality. Dr. Prabhavati Dwabha came to India to find herself; instead, she found people in need and a new purpose in life. At Ramana's Garden, Dr. Dwabha is working to give a future to children who would otherwise be without one.

ANWU SCHOOL (00:03:08)

• APRIL 2006

Rural schools, where the vast majority of children in China receive their primary education, are often below the standards of their urban counterparts. About 80% of rural schoolchildren don't get past middle school, and many face difficult life prospects as they become teenage farmers and migrant workers. But at AnWu Elementary, the explore team saw the results of the school's vigorous improvements, and students share their big hopes for the future with "Professor Charlie."

RITA MARLEY'S TOWN (00:03:21)

• JULY 2005

All over the world, the Marley name has become synonymous with reggae music, rastafari, and Jamaica. Now Rita Marley is putting into reality the ideals of love, hope, and unity that she and her late husband Bob Marley have been singing about for decades. Among the foundation's many projects in Ghana, it is working to strengthen the community of Konkonuru by building a brand-new medical clinic and improving its school.

SIBUSISO SCHOOL (00:01:07)

• 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.