This
is a short list of particularly interesting films and videos
available to teachers and students. Please suggest more
!
Life
at school – the DAS tapes. To inquire: efine@edu.yorku.ca
or Professor Esther Sokolov
Fine, Faculty of Education, York University, 877 S Ross
Building, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3J
1P3 (416)736-5002 ext. 88795, or King Squire Films Ltd.,
94 Borden Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2N1 (416)922-6509.
This is a 'fly on the wall' documentary about the daily
life of children and their teachers at Downtown Alternative
School (DAS). Children here, from kindergarten to grade
6 are taught, supported, and encouraged by their teachers
to deal peacefully with their own conflicts and help others
do the same. The documentary offers close observation of
children with their teachers in the classroom and on the
playground, away from the adult gaze, as they play, talk,
fight, and learn how to get along together. The camera follows
daily activities in the school over a three-year period,
recording events and unfolding conversations about conflicts
and how they can be resolved. A rare look inside a small
school where conflict resolution and peacemaking play a
major role.
A
Farewell to Arms. Free from the Norwegian
Initiative on Small Arms Transfers.
A 28 minute documentary on how the people and government
of Mali in West Africa are getting guns off the streets
and out of the bush. The first part takes the viewer through
the buildup to war, peace negotiations, then arms collection
and destruction and finally shows how development lives
hopes of peace, stability and jobs that reintegrate fighters
into society.
Just
the Two of Us ESR
(Educators for Social Responsibility) www.esrnational.org
This 15 minute video teaches children strategies for dealing
with conflict – the spats in the classroom and angry
words on the playground that are a normal part of life for
young children. The story is interspersed with sing-along
songs, rap dances, animation, and a fantasy sequence. A
lesson guide is included. Produced by Agency for Instructional
Media in cooperation with ESR. Grades 1-3 Around
$70US
War No More - a 14 min. video, with a booklet which
discusses major issues, and includes questions for high
schools/adults. It is produced by and available from the
Movement for the Abolition of War, 11 Venetia Rd, London
UK N4 1EJ. Price for video and booklet: L8.99 includes postage
within UK. See www.abolishwar.org.uk
for the text of the booklet, and more.
Amnesty
International publishes a catalogue of audiovisual
resources available from: Amnesty International, 312 Laurier
Ave East, Ottawa ON K1N 1H9, ph: 613-744-7667, fax: 613-563-7214,
www.amnesty.ca.
Also offices in Toronto and Vancouver. Here’s a sample:
The
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, VHS, 1988,
21 mins.
Animated
video. 32 internationally recognized animators from 13
countries collaborated on this video animating each of
the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights. $8.
Good
News Stories, VHS, 1991, 60 mins.
A
series of interviews with former prisoners of conscience
describing their experiences. The stories illustrate that
Amnesty's work in human rights can make a difference.
$8.
Guatemala:
Digging for Truth, AI 2002, 30 min, AI* $12.00
A woman left Guatemala as a child during the massacres
in her village by military forces in the early eighties,
and was brought up in the USA. She returned as an adult
to confront the past, to look for relatives and to demand
justice for the atrocities suffered by these people.
Colombia:
The Hidden Tragedy, AI 2002, 26 min, AI* $12.00
Colombia is rich in natural resources, and a population
of 40 million. Beneath its surface lies a violent tragedy
hidden from the rest of the world.
See
Amnesty's Publications and Video Catalogue , AI*,
www.amnesty.ca/library/hre_resources.htm
National
Film Board - Toronto office: 416 973-3012
NFB
has many annotated catalogues of video titles for students
from K-12 related to peace, conflict resolution,
critical thinking: e.g., Speaking Out Against Violence
video collection, Social Justice Human Rights video
collection, Media Education videos, Just for Kids
(Grades K-6), Teachers’Choice (Grades
7-13).
Sunburst
Communications, phone 1 800-431-1934, fax 519 971-2712,
PO Box 1051, Fort Erie, ON, L2A 5N8
Offers
videos on "tough-to-teach topics" such as conflict
resolution, violence prevention, anger management, self-esteem,
respect, drug education, sex and Aids education. Ask for
a free
catalogue.
Kinetic
Incorporated 408 Dundas St. E., Toronto ON M5A 2A5,
1-800-263-6910
Offers
a number of videos on the subjects of violence and conflict
resolution for schools.
Remembrance
Day
Never
Again! Video series from The
War Amps of Canada has more than 25 videos on Canadian
military history in the 20th century, using documentary
footage to show the brutality and devastation that war brings.
Available on loan or for purchase between $10 and $14. From:
War Amps Key Tag Service, 1 Maybrook drive, Scarborough
ON M1V 5K9
Royal
Canadian Legion website
contains information on Remembrance Day including poems,
brief military histories and a teacher’s guide with
activities for elementary and secondary students. Contact
your local Legion.
