The Brazil Project: Service Learning in the Curriculum
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Through a collaborative, interdisciplinary, cross-cultural project, my students have the unique opportunity to partner with the 50 Kids/50 Cameras Project with Silent Tapes.
Over the summer of 2014, Stephanie Lane and Francis Lane visited a favela in Fortaleza, Brazil. They gave 50 cameras to 50 kids, and after they were taught photography skills, the kids were set free to capture their world. The project is part of a documentary initiative to bring awareness to the issues facing those living in the Favelas in Brazil. You can learn more about that here:http://silenttapes.com/projects/np/50-kids-50-cameras/ Through a series of serendipitous moments, I teamed up with Stephanie and Francis to do a collaborative project with my students at UNIS. Tied in with our Global Connections unit, my students connected with 11 of the children in Brazil. The children were "pen-pals" for a bit, sharing their worlds with one another. My students also engaged in the same photography curriculum to capture their world. During the project, we asked the question: How does where we live impact how we live our lives? We examined the Millennium Development Goals. We wrote letters. We compared cultures. We engaged the community. We took action to make a difference. The project opened the opportunity to learn geography, writing, service learning, photography, and social-emotional skills all while taking action to contribute to the lives of these wonderful Brazilian children. At the end of the project, we hosted an exhibit/Gala through which we raised funds to help build a community center in Brazil. The project culminated with an exhibit at the UNICEF head quarters in New York, where the children were met by the chief of UNICEF as well as delegates from the Brazil office. This is why I became a teacher. To help foster a generation of children who are empowered with the knowledge and skills they need to help make the world a better place. Together, we really can "Be the change we wish to see in the world." |