A behind-the-headlines look at a diverse group of young adults who give a year of their lives through a San Francisco area AmeriCorps program to tutor and mentor needy kids. Despite their good intentions, they are confronted by a host of obstacles, including a racial divide that threatens to thwart their efforts. While documenting a year both turbulent and exhilarating, the film reveals the hopes and dreams, successes and setbacks of a group of individuals -- potentially tomorrow's leaders -- searching for their place in the world and trying, against odds, to make a difference. Everyday Heroes explores the rewards and the potential difficulties, on both a personal and program level, of national and community service and of service-learning. It provides a stimulating launching point for discussion about civic engagement and youth leadership development. Issues of race and diversity permeate every scene, with the impassioned voices of the service providers "talking across differences."再读一些...
Photography, Vincente Franco, Witt Monts ; original music, Jan Herbst, Brian Pardo.
目标对象：
Not rated.
描述：
1 videocassette (59 min.) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in.
详述：
VHS, stereo.
其他题名：
Everyday heroes a real-life look at youth, race and national service
责任：
Never Tire Productions ; Kovno Communications ; produced, directed, and edited by Rick Goldsmith and Abby Ginzberg.
摘要：
A behind-the-headlines look at a diverse group of young adults who give a year of their lives through a San Francisco area AmeriCorps program to tutor and mentor needy kids. Despite their good intentions, they are confronted by a host of obstacles, including a racial divide that threatens to thwart their efforts. While documenting a year both turbulent and exhilarating, the film reveals the hopes and dreams, successes and setbacks of a group of individuals -- potentially tomorrow's leaders -- searching for their place in the world and trying, against odds, to make a difference. Everyday Heroes explores the rewards and the potential difficulties, on both a personal and program level, of national and community service and of service-learning. It provides a stimulating launching point for discussion about civic engagement and youth leadership development. Issues of race and diversity permeate every scene, with the impassioned voices of the service providers "talking across differences."
The East Bay [San Francisco] AmeriCorps program placed 21 young racially, culturally, and ethnically diverse volunteers in three area communities. AmeriCorps volunteers, who work a forty-hour week, receive a small stipend, and at the end of their service receive a $4725 education grant, served as tutors,... 再读一些...
The East Bay [San Francisco] AmeriCorps program placed 21 young racially, culturally, and ethnically diverse volunteers in three area communities. AmeriCorps volunteers, who work a forty-hour week, receive a small stipend, and at the end of their service receive a $4725 education grant, served as tutors, mentors and health educators for Bay area community and school organizations. This documentary follows the experience of several of those volunteers as they worked to make a difference in their community while at the same time they sought to find their own direction.
A heartfelt and inspiring examination of the experiences of the volunteers revealed both their intense dedication to the children they worked with and their own inner struggles and doubts. The camera followed the experiences of Steve, a young African American, Ivan, a self described black Latino, and Katy, a Caucasian from a âculturally isolated background.â Steve, a gifted youth worker was released from the AmeriCorps program because he was unable to overcome the difficult circumstances of his own life and maintain his commitment to his work. Katy agonized over her difficulty in communicating with inner city black children. Ivan found himself dealing with his dual identity in new ways, while the group as a whole became frustrated in dealing with their overly controlling supervisor.
This perceptive documentary gives an illuminating examination of how racial divisions pervade American society, but at the same time the film offers hope that this divide can be bridged. The volunteers participated in diversity training that brought awareness of the special difficulties faced by young black males and forged new friendships along interracial lines. But, what was especially inspiring to see was the warmth and compassion shown by the volunteers. Even under difficult circumstances and with difficult children, their love for what they were doing shone through and demonstrated clearly that Americaâs young people do care about improving their communities. The 59 minute version was edited specifically for public television broadcast, but the longer version provides a richer and more complex account of the AmeriCorps experience
视觉资料 : 英语
再读一些...
