Film Library: Education

COMMON THREADS (00:08:49)

• OCTOBER 2008

Students at Common Threads don aprons and chef hats and learn basic kitchen skills, cooking techniques, how to read recipes, and the importance of fresh ingredients from the organization's Chef Instructors. In the process of preparing and sharing a healthy ethnic meal, they learn how to connect with their bodies, their neighbors, and the outside world — in bite-sized lessons. Common Threads provides programs in 18 different Chicago neighborhoods, one in Miami, and two in Los Angeles.

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."

JACK'S MUSIC CLASS (00:03:23 )

• FEBRUARY 2008

Jack Johnson returns to his Elementary School and teaches kids about the importance of recycling.

KOKUA HAWAI'I FOUNDATION (00:04:58)

• FEBRUARY 2008

The Kokua Hawai'i Foundation was founded by Jack Johnson and his wife Kim, who wanted to share the importance of caring for the planet with Hawaii's youth. Through catchy songs like 'Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,' and enabling schools to run field trips, gardening education, and nutrition programs, the foundation is helping to create an environmentally conscious generation.

OASIS OF PEACE (00:05:45)

• JUNE 2007

Problems arise when people simply do not understand one another. At the community school in Neve Shalom-Wahat al-Salam — named in both Hebrew and Arabic — children learn both languages at a very young age, thus cultivating a spirit of communication and mutual understanding. The village is a true rarity, as Jews and Palestinian Arabs live together in cooperation and respect.

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.

RURAL WOMEN (00:03:36)

• APRIL 2006

Women in rural China have one of the highest suicide rates in the world. Wu Qing at the Development Center for Rural Women believes that empowering women with the idea of equality, giving them out-of-home work skills, and instilling a sense of social responsibility will increase their feeling of self-worth and improve quality of life. To plant the desire for knowledge, the center also started a grassroots literacy program.

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."

EARTH UNIVERSITY (00:10:11)

• NOVEMBER 2005

Drawing students from around the world, EARTH University in Costa Rica teaches future leaders how to implement agricultural techniques that drive economic progress while still respecting and preserving the earth's resources. It's mission is to promote sustainable development and eco-sensitive agriculture in the developing world.

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.