2011 Teens share their hero stories with the world

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jeanne Meyers
[email protected]
1278 Glenneyre #286
Laguna Beach, CA 92651

Laguna Beach, CA - 2/22/11 - The MY HERO Project is proud to announce the release of The MY HERO Report: Youth Edition ll. This compilation of inspirational short videos features passionate young people and their heroes. The material is online and also available to High School and Middle School teachers across the USA on DVD. The program was developed from essays submitted to the MY HERO website, teacher nominations, and also includes outstanding young people recently honored at the 6th annual MY HERO International Film Festival. This DVD is available as a resource for educators seeking to empower young people to use media and technology to share stories of hope that can inspire and help foster awareness and appreciation for our differences.

The MY HERO Report: Youth Edition ll DVD includes the following segments:

Camille "Manybeads" Tso is a 16-year old Navajo filmmaker who shares the tale of Yellow Woman, her great, great, great grandmother, a hero whose story continues to inspire members of the Navajo community.

Logan Cascia pays homage to his hero Tommy Carroll, a blind skateboarder who refuses to let obstacles or fear keep him from achieving his dreams, including skateboarding with world famous skater Tony Hawk.

Matthew Cohen learned about the immense potential of solar ovens from his hero and teacher Rowena Gerber and created his own website to raise funds for solar oven donations to Haiti.

Mohamed Sidibay is a former child soldier who is determined to become an international lawyer to protect children from the same fate. During the civil war in Sierra Leone, rebels killed Mohamed's family and forced him to join their army for seven years. As Mohamed shares his story, we see that this young reporter is a hero to many.

Bailey Cunningham tells us about her brother Brice Cunningham, a vibrant, ambitious teen who refuses to allow deafness to stand in his way. Bailey's story shows how her outgoing brother is an inspiration to the people in his life.

Slater Jewell-Kemker has been a youth reporter for the MY HERO Project since she was 10 years old. Slater is a vibrant artist and activist, currently prepping a feature film about the efforts of young people fighting climate change.

Quinton Barnett is a kayaker who shares his experience exploring the great rivers of Africa with World Class Kayak Academy. He encourages everyone to treat rivers with respect by keeping them clean and openly accessible.

Ablaye inspires others with his courage by refusing to let his physical disabilities become an obstacle to achieving his dream to get an education. He proves that limitations and obstacles only exist in our minds.

The MY HERO Project (www.myhero.com) is a not-for-profit, educational web project that celebrates the best of humanity through an ever-growing archive of hero stories, artwork and short films from around the world. Educators in 180 countries use this free resource to bring unique educational experiences to their classrooms.

MY HERO has produced this video series with support from a grant from The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation.

The MY HERO Report DVD also includes highlights from the 2010 MY HERO International Film Festival, as a gift from the festival filmmakers and producers.

The DVD will be distributed to schools and community organizations, as well as being streamed on the MY HERO website. For more information, please visit www.myhero.com.