Film highlights local high schoolers
Janhavi Purohit
Issue date: 9/26/08 Section: News
Philadelphia Academies is also involved in the "First Person Trust Fund," a fund dedicated to providing the financial support necessary to put the six students in the film through college. The organization made a donation directly to the fund, and Nutter encouraged other individuals to step forward and do the same.
Nutter said that her organization's relations with Herold are long-standing and that Herold was known for his work as an education policy researcher. Herold said his evaluation work in the Young Scholar's Program at Temple led him to the six students featured in the film, who were all participants in the program.
"As I got to know them and heard their stories, I began to feel very strongly that what they say matters, and it's important that people from a wide variety of backgrounds get to know them like I was, and research is not the best way to do that. That's why I went into film," Herold said.
Nutter said her involvement with this campaign relates to the "idea that it should be a campaign in the first place."
"The kids had an expectation that Ben [Herold] and everyone else that was going to be involved was going to use their stories to make change," Nutter said. "We were very clear that we were going to be true to the spirit of what they wanted, but more importantly that it made sense, that this film could be used as an advocacy tool."
She added that because of the nature of the film, it alone was not enough to raise awareness in this way alone.
"In and of itself, it's difficult-you can't watch the film and be empowered to move," Nutter said. "That's why it's important to create strategy and a campaign around the film and to generate dialogue."
Herold said that it was important for city residents to understand the students in today's urban schools.
"We want to give Philadelphians a chance to get to know the silent majority of young people in this city," Herold said. "When we talk about inner city kids, we talk about all the kids who are exceptional, bright and make it to school, or we talk about the ones who wind up in jail. The vast majority are in between. They're average teenagers dealing with extraordinary circumstances."
Nutter said that her organization's relations with Herold are long-standing and that Herold was known for his work as an education policy researcher. Herold said his evaluation work in the Young Scholar's Program at Temple led him to the six students featured in the film, who were all participants in the program.
"As I got to know them and heard their stories, I began to feel very strongly that what they say matters, and it's important that people from a wide variety of backgrounds get to know them like I was, and research is not the best way to do that. That's why I went into film," Herold said.
Nutter said her involvement with this campaign relates to the "idea that it should be a campaign in the first place."
"The kids had an expectation that Ben [Herold] and everyone else that was going to be involved was going to use their stories to make change," Nutter said. "We were very clear that we were going to be true to the spirit of what they wanted, but more importantly that it made sense, that this film could be used as an advocacy tool."
She added that because of the nature of the film, it alone was not enough to raise awareness in this way alone.
"In and of itself, it's difficult-you can't watch the film and be empowered to move," Nutter said. "That's why it's important to create strategy and a campaign around the film and to generate dialogue."
Herold said that it was important for city residents to understand the students in today's urban schools.
"We want to give Philadelphians a chance to get to know the silent majority of young people in this city," Herold said. "When we talk about inner city kids, we talk about all the kids who are exceptional, bright and make it to school, or we talk about the ones who wind up in jail. The vast majority are in between. They're average teenagers dealing with extraordinary circumstances."
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