7th Graders realize ” I Can Make A Difference in the World”
Posted on 28. Dec, 2009 by Ringmaster in All Posts, Power of Vision
Mr Amaral, a Global Concepts teacher, is beginning his third year of bringing TEL.A.VISION to every 7th grader at Oakland Junior High. Here is what he had to say about TEL.A.VISION. “TEL.A.VISION makes my students think about themselves in the world. It helps them think about what they could be. It is an opportunity for them to take control of their lives and realize they can make a difference in the world.”
“I see past students in the hallways almost every day who tell me how cool the vision video assignment was and how they still watch it. One 9th grader told me she watched her video the other day and has decided not to be a lawyer but instead wants to become a teacher.”
Here are what some of Mr. Amaral’s students said in their blog posts:
“I learned I have the capability to do whatever I hope and dream for my life.”
“I was so proud of my telavision!! I encourage others to do this to, it is a great experience.”
“My mom and dad were very proud of me when I did my tel.a.vison project. My Mom’s eyes got a little teary.”
“This was our best homework assignment we did all year.”
“Now that I put it out there for everyone to see my goals and dreams there are more people who are believing me and cheering me on.”
And finally there was the girl who had not completed an assignment all year who completed her TEL.A.VISION. She wrote in her blog,”It’s about time that someone asked us what we think.“
Research points to the importance of instilling hope and optimism in youth
Posted on 15. Jun, 2009 by Ringmaster in All Posts, Power of Vision
University of Minnesota Medical School researcher Iris Borowsky, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues found that one in seven adolescents believe that it is highly likely that they will die before age 35, and this belief predicted that the adolescents’ would engage in risky behaviors.
“While conventional wisdom says that teens engage in risky behaviors because they feel invulnerable to harm, this study suggests that in some cases, teens may take risks because they overestimate their vulnerability, specifically their risk of dying,” Borowsky said. “These youth may take risks because they feel hopeless and figure that not much is at stake.”
This fatalistic view varied notably across social groups with significant differences by sex, race/ethnicity, family structure, and receipt of public assistance. More than 29 percent of American-Indian, 26 percent of African-American, 21 percent of Hispanic, and 15 percent of Asian youth reported believing they would die young—compared with 10 percent of their Caucasian peers. Nearly 25 percent of youth living in households that received public assistance also shared this belief.
“Our findings reinforce the importance of instilling a sense of hope and optimism in youth,” Borowsky said. “Strong connections with parents, families, and schools, as well as positive media messages, are likely important factors in developing an optimistic outlook for young people.”
Native Americans, blacks and low-income teens – kids who are disproportionately exposed to violence and hardship – were much more likely than whites to believe they’d die young.
“We know some things about how to promote optimism and hope in youth,” Borowsky explained. “Parents matter — involved, caring, connected parents,” she said. “Schools matter — school connectedness, creating a climate where students feel a part of their school and safe at school, and media matters — given the power of media to convey both positive and negative messages to a large audience of young people.”
Big News From TEL.A.VISION
Posted on 05. Jun, 2009 by Ringmaster in All Posts, Media, Social Media and Vision, Supporters, TEL.A.VISION Stories, Web 2.0
5th Graders at Clear Springs Elementary on Parents Night
The BIG news is that TEL.A.VISION is becoming a non profit. Actually, it has always been a not for profit but we are just making it official. This will allow us to seek funds from foundations and individuals. I know that we will probably be rejected 10 times before we find someone willing to help fund us so if you know any organization or individual willing to be one of the first to talk to us let us know.
It’s hard to believe we launched only 8 months ago. In that time our partner Haberman has done a great job of getting us in all of the local press as well as the Christian Science Monitor. We had a successful TEL.A.VISION Day with a 24 hour broadcast of TEL.A.VISION videos on the Internet ( Thank you Steve). In May we did our first NYC press tour and from that will be covered in a 4 page spread in District Administration (Thank you Sue), a feature in Family Circle and have been told we will be in Scholastic and Time For Kids.
We have some exciting partnerships we are working on.
- Having 6th, 9th and 12th graders in the Minneapolis Schools create vision videos as part of graduation requirements,
- Working with TIES Education,
- Partnering with Youth Services of America to create Service Learning videos,
- Working with The Discipline of Peace and Culture of Peace Initiative to create Peace videos,
- Discussions with SEARCH Institute and Templeton Press on creating a Vision Curriculum with Dr. Benson’s New book “Vision“
- An invitation to visit the staff of the Fetzer Institute.
While all of this holds great potential the most rewarding work has been to see the difference TEL.A.VISION is having on youth. Three projects stand out.
- Working with the Divas of North Minneapolis. The Star Tribune did a nice article on them.
- Spending a day at Angelo Patri Middle School in the Bronx with 18 young people creating a new vision for their school ( The video is below). Their Vide Principal cried when she say it.
- Parent night at a Clear Springs Elementary in Minnetonka, where 75 people showed up to view amazing videos created by 5th graders .
We’ve started a new contest called “100 words for $100“. Tell us how you have used TEL.A.VISION and win a chance for $100.
Thank you all for your support of TEL.A.VISION. If you would like to receive regular updates on TEL.A.VISION sign up in the upper right hand corner.
http://www.onetruemedia.com/media/22/5f91fe900f19f6ff/5e1a2196f0735bb8.flvTEL.A.VISION Adopted by all Youth
Posted on 24. Apr, 2009 by Ringmaster in All Posts, How to Help!, Vision Videos
We started piloting TEL.A.VISION by working with 120 5th graders at a suburban school. The students and teachers readily adopted it. One Teacher said,”I can think of nothing I could have done to get to know my students better.”
Next we took TEL.A.VISION to a Junior High and 350 7th graders completed TEL.A.VISIONs. The students were near unanimous in calling the project their favorite homework assignment of the year. One girl, who hadn’t completed an assignment all year finished her video and in her diary said “Its about time someone asked us what we wanted.”
We created a Vision for an alternative School in Switzerland and the teacher said ” This is the best behaved I have ever seen our children.”
A class of slow learners did TEL.A.VISION videos. The teacher said ” These are kids who don’t read, don’t right and don’t participate. We were blown away with what they accomplished.” ( One of there videos is shown below.)
Recently a group of teenage girls of color, the Divas, completed beautiful TEL.A.VISION videos. They did a beautiful job and the teachers are already using the videos as a way to reinforce studying habits and appropriate behavior.
A few weeks ago I was at the Red Wing Juvenile Corrections Facility. The warden loves the idea of having the residents create TEL.A.VISION videos. I asked one resident if he would like to do one. He said he already knew what he would say in his:
- I make my mother proud
- I get my GED and graduate from High School
- I find a full time job
- I hang with friends that appreciate me
What we have seen is that all youth regardless of economic status, age, race or personal circumstances want the opportunity to dream of their futures of hope and possibility. Please help us spread the word.
http://www.onetruemedia.com/media/15/543d53632c849267/89952696a5a79e8c.flvSurvey: Too many children fear end of Earth
Posted on 24. Apr, 2009 by Ringmaster in All Posts, Power of Vision
One out of three children, ages 6-11 years old, fear that the planet won’t exist when they grow up and more than half believe that the Earth will not be as good a place to live.
That’s according to a new telephone survey of 500 pre-teens commissioned by Habitat Heroes, the first global, social networking web site for young people, and conducted by CARAVAN Opinion Research Corporation.
The survey, conducted April 3-7, comprised 250 males and 250 females 6 to 11 years of age, living in private households in the continental United States.
Minority children worried the most with 75 percent of black children and 65 percent of Hispanic children fearing the planet was going to deteriorate before they grew up.
This is more evidence that TEL.A.VISION is needed to turn our children’s attention to hope vs. fear.
Parents React to TEL.A.VISION
Posted on 18. Feb, 2009 by Colleen Matschi in All Posts, Vision Videos
Amidst the excitement of creating their TEL.A.VISION videos, there is also an anticipation to see the work and vision of other students. As part of the program students are required to share their video with their teacher to ensure completion. We suggest that teachers set aside some time for students to share their videos with the class, if they choose to. While many students may be tentative to share at first, by the end of the session, most students are found hoping there is enough time to share their video.
The most common response from students as they watch their peer’s videos is, “Now that I’ve seen other videos I realize I have many more dreams I want to add to my life/video.” By seeing what others see as possible, it becomes possible for them as well.
In addition to sharing with their teacher and class, students are asked to share their TEL.A.VISION videos with their family and friends. Via the website, students are able to send their videos via email, download them to an iPod and share them in multiple other formats. Here are just some of the reactions to the TEL.A.VISION videos we heard:
- “My parents liked seeing my hopes and dreams and my Grandma started to bawl”
- “My mom told me that she never knew some of the dreams that I had”
- “After I showed my dad my video, I felt like a movie producer and I wanted to show everyone”
- “My family was amazed at how much thought I had given to my future”
- “I hope everyone shows their parents their video so parents can get to know their kids better.”
Upon completion of the first class to participate in TEL.A.VISION, we celebrated by putting on a “Movie Night,” where every student and their parents were invited to watch each student’s TEL.A.VISION video, while enjoying popcorn, of course. See the video below for the parents’, teachers and kids responses to TEL.A.VISION.
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