Summer Newsletter

MY HERO Summer Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Congratulations to the finalists of the Sylvia Earle Ocean Conservation Award! There's still time to cast your vote for the winning film, which will be announced on June 8 — World Ocean's Day.

On June 23, we will announce the Spring 2021 winners of the Mattie Stepanek Poetry Contest, the UN SDG Poster Contest, the Coronavirus Heroes Contest and the Robert Shetterly Portrait Contest.

Thanks to MY HERO, my students have become international citizens who care about climate change and human rights. They have become future heroes dedicated to protecting and caring for one another and the environment and demonstrating with the media their success.

-Teacher/Principal Cheikh Darou Seck, Senegal

The 2021 MY HERO International Film Festival Call for Entries continues with a final submissions deadline of September 1. Numerous special awards and cash prizes will be given. Read the newsletter below for details. We hope that students will use their creative energies this summer to produce inspiring short hero films, songs, art and music. Explore our media arts resources to help them get started. Entrance fees are waived for student filmmakers.

We are grateful to all of the dedicated teachers and parents who have been nurturing and supporting children during this challenging year. Thank you for your continued support and for being part of our global learning community.

Warm regards,

The MY HERO Team

MY HERO Overview and Impact

Watch this 5-minute film, celebrating 25 years of MY HERO and its global impact,

created by film festival intern Kitty Richardson and the MY HERO Team

World Oceans Day Classroom Activity

View great short films and vote!

Year-round Classroom Resources

MY HERO QuickStart Guides

MY HERO Library Media Specialist QuickStart Guide has links to stories, art, short films and audio celebrating the best of humanity.

MY HERO Teachers QuickStart Guide has links to multimedia resources and lesson plans.

September 1 Call for Entries

Inspiring Short Films

Film Festival Special Prizes

Esther Wojcicki Youth Reporter Award

Ron Kovic Peace Prize

Dan Eldon Activist Award

Eva Haller Women Transforming Media Award

Immersive Storytelling Award

Relationships First Award

Unsung Heroes Song Contest

Distance Learning Resources

MY HERO and Tract.app

Register with Tract.app for FREE using the Access Code “MYHERO” to see how Tract.app can help your students surpass summer learning loss and take charge of their education through self-directed, project-based learning.

Get the Tract App.

Check out the Tract homepage video.

Media Arts Resources

Check out MY HERO's Media Arts resources

We invite you and your students to add your hero stories, art, short films, and music and be part of our growing online community.

If you are interested in media arts production workshops, contact Wendy Milette, Director of Media Arts Education and the MY HERO International Film Festival, at media@myheroproject.org.

MY HERO at ISTE & EdChange Global 2021

Join MY HERO Education Outreach Director Laura Nietzer at this year’s virtual ISTE Conference, and learn how teachers and students use MY HERO’s free media resources to enrich learning.

Sunday, June 27, 4:15-5:00 p.m. (EST)

MY HERO: Stories, Art and Films Celebrating Heroes Around the Globe

Monday, June 28, 5:30-6:15 p.m. (EST)

Use MY HERO Resources: Curate Stories, Art and Films Celebrating Heroes

Educators will learn:

the many ways they can integrate MY HERO's rich multimedia library of hero stories, art, films and music in the classroom for any grade level.
how to curate a webpage organizer of content from the online library for use with students.
how to empower students to become reporters and filmmakers by creating and publishing their own multimedia telling the stories of heroes in their communities.

Laura will also be presenting at the EdChange Global 24-Hour Online Conference being held on July 23 - 24.

If you’re unable to attend these sessions, or if you would like mentoring from our staff, please reach out to Laura Nietzer for support: laura@myheroproject.org.

MY HERO's New Micro-Credential Program

MY HERO has partnered with Naledi, an NGO dedicated to improving the lives of African girls through education by creating a micro-credential program for teachers through the National University of Science of Technology. Laura Nietzer, working with educator and Naledi board member Freedom Cheteni, will mentor teachers in Uganda learning to use MY HERO's online resources and digital storytelling tools.

Students will have the opportunity to become reporters, artists and filmmakers honoring the heroes in their communities as they build a portfolio of their work. In the final step of this program, teachers mentor other teachers, training them to incorporate MY HERO resources with their students. After completing these three phases, teachers will receive a credential as a certified MY HERO Mentor.

From the MY HERO Calendar