As Fellows, we were recently given the exciting opportunity to read over The Modern Story’s Social Justice Curriculum. The Modern Story Social Justice Unit was created using resources from The Liberation Curriculum Initiative of the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University. We will begin implementing the curriculum soon. But before we begin, the girls wanted to do a video on issues they felt concerned them more immediately before expanding to broader issues of social justice and non-violence.  The issue at the top of the list is Women Empowerment. The best researched and presented film topic was done by Spandana who pitched many women-oriented ideas to the class.

When students at The Modern Story chose Women Issues as the subject for their first film, Vidya and I responded by selecting a clip discussing the subject, gathered student responses, and brought the students into conversation with the film. In this film clip Kavita Ramdas, head of the Global Fund for Women, is asked a couple questions related to the issues facing women today. Harini responds to the first question about why women issues should be discussed and Spandana lists one issue she thinks is facing women locally – dowry deaths.

We have begun contacting local leaders in the non-profit, social service and government sectors for ideas and potential interviews as we approach the time for implementing the Social Justice curriculum. Stay tuned.

As the girls look toward making their own videos we put together a short clip that encourages young girls to watch movies actively instead of passively by paying attention to moving images, still images, color, sound and camera angles.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKcZvkfJBBk