MY HERO Multimedia Resources for Middle School Students

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Peace Activists

Credit: MY HERO

Screening these films will take about 55 minutes. The pieces utilize art and music to express strong opposition to the horrors of war. They also feature heroic individuals who have become advocates for conflict resolution and peace after experiencing the tragedy of violence.

Hands Up Don't Shoot (3:17)

Producer: RAP ARTIST:Queen McElrath, DIRECTOR: Aniea Cody, PRODUCER: Todd Young ...

Nashville students, Queen McElrath and team show love and talent for Michael Brown and the people of Ferguson Missouri.

Prayers for Peace (7:20)

Producer: Dustin Grella

A young man seeks peace on behalf of his brother.

Upstanders: The Mosque Across the Street (5:09)

Producer: Howard Schultz and Rajiv Chandrasekaran

What happens when a mosque moves across the street from a church in the Bible Belt?

A Battle for Peace (2:12)

Producer: Walking the dog / Directed by: Joost Jansen

A soldier goes to the front during World War I, whose horrors make him realize that the enemy is actually war itself.

The Peace of Wild Things (1:17)

Katy Wang

When despair for the world grows in me… ...I come into the peace of wild things. ~Wendell Barry

Moral Courage: Stopping shootings in Brooklyn before they start (3:06)

Producer: Adam Grannick and Moral Courage TV

Save Our Streets organization works to prevent violence from happening to the youths of Crown Heights.

Post-war Machismo: Be a Man (8:34)

Producer: Liz Mermin

Dragan Kisin became a a community leader and non-violence advocate after joining the Be a Man club in Bosnia and Herzegovina's Banja Luka.

Azim Khamisa: The Tool of Forgiveness (7:45)

Producer: The Institute for Advancing Unity/The Working Group

A grieving father overcomes tragedy by creating something beautiful in his son's name - Tariq Khamisa.

Us and Us (5:18)

Producer: Righteous Conversations Project

A look at dehumanization through the eyes of a black teen and the history of genocides.

A Declaration of Interdependence (4:18)

Producer: Global participants

Award Winning Director Tiffany Shlain crowd sources her revision of the Declaration of Independence as A Declaration of Interdependence!

The Sunrise Storyteller - Trailer (1:54)

Producer: Marla Slavner

The Sunrise Storyteller follows the hero's journey of teenage filmmaker & social justice advocate, Kasha Sequoia Slavner.

Right To Play [Excerpt] (6:37)

Producer: Frank Marshall

Olympian Johann Olav Koss embarked on a remarkable journey to use sports to improve the lives of African children.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Which of these films touched you the most and why?

2. Who of these heroes do you admire the most and why?

3. How does the art or music in the films impact you as a viewer?

4. What is your favorite genre in this group? Experimental, Music Video, or Documentary and why?

5. Do you know any peace heroes in your community?

6. Why is forgiveness important for peace?

7. How can we become more tolerant as people?

8. Who is your peace hero? Write a story, create a piece of art or short film honoring your hero and submit to MY HERO using the Create Program for publication on the website.