December Newsletter
Dear Community Members,

Thank you for being part of the global learning community that is The MY HERO Project. We hope you will explore opportunities to use MY HERO in the classroom and at home this month.

In this newsletter, we honor Sangeetha Sekar, an inspiring teen who is making her mark in the sports world despite living on the streets in a poor neighborhood in India. Watch an award winning short film, "Made in Madras," that celebrates this hero.

We have built an organizer so you can check out stories, films and art from Senegal created by Cheikh Darou Seck and his students. We hope you will support his dream for a media arts center at the middle school in Dakar.

Together we lift each other with stories of hope, courage and real connections of friendship and community for the teachers, students and media makers celebrating the best of humanity with our not for profit organization.
 
May peace, joy and the spirit of the holidays be with you throughout the new year. 

Warm regards,

The MY HERO Project Team

Classroom and Family Activities
View Kovic Peace Ballot
Watch five short films with a theme of Peace and have your students recommend the winner of the Ron Kovic Peace Prize. Total run time = 35 minutes

View Eldon Activist Ballot
Watch six short films about Activism and have your students help choose the winner of the Dan Eldon Activist Award. Total run time = 40 minutes

Congratulations to all the finalists in the MY HERO International Film Festival . Winners will be announced December 20. Check the MY HERO website for updates. myhero.com/winners
Calendar & Lesson Plans
Click on images to explore
World AIDS Day
International Day for Abolition of Slavery
International Volunteer Day
Human Rights Day
U.S. Bill of Rights Day
International Migrants Day
Human Solidarity Day
Updates
Laguna Hero Fest
Singer - songwriter Whitney Winefordner, who performed her original song My Blue Heart
Trey Carlisle - Director, “Dance
for a Cause” & Soka University Club Members
Pam Estes - Boys & Girls Club of Laguna CEO and winner of the 2019 Community Hero Award
The 12th Annual Laguna Hero Fest honored local and global heroes who have made an impact on their community. Thanks to the   City of Laguna Beach, StuNews Laguna, KX 93.5 radio and the FOA Foundation for their support for this program. Learn more about the Laguna Hero Fest.  


Learn more about the Laguna Hero Fest .

HOST a HERO Fest in your school or community center. Here is a flyer to help you get started. myhero.com/herofest .
MY HERO at UCLA Center X
MY HERO Editor Shannon Luders-Manuel and Educational Consultant Jamie Gravell manned an information table at the UCLA teacher-training conference "With Different Eyes." The annual conference, provided through the university's hands-on teacher training program, Center X, is for "teachers of diverse English learners across the disciplines." Attendees were given information on MY HERO and how Jamie can support them in the classroom through our grant from The Max Factor Family Foundation .

Teachers in LA County interested in working with MY HERO
through this grant, email:  myhero@myheroproject.org
Educator Spotlight
Cheikh Darou Seck's Elhadji Ibrahima Thiaw school, once one of the best schools in Dakar, Senegal, is in desperate need of repair and equipment so students can become global citizens.
 
For 15 years, Cheikh and his students have been fostering cross-cultural communication and global understanding by sharing stories, art and short films on the MY HERO website. Learn more about this inspiring educational leader and how he brings heroes into his classroom. Cheikh Darou Seck .

Made in Madras - People's Choice Winner
Your votes have been counted and Made in Madras is the 2019 winner of the People's Choice Award. This inspiring film tells the story of Sangeetha Sekar, a 19-year-old soccer player who lives on the streets in a poor neighborhood of Chennai, India . The film was directed by Mohit Arora, Aishwarya Ashok, and Shikha Kumari through the ChangeChitra production company.

Learn more about Sangeetha Sekar on the MY HERO website.

Teacher Resources
Explore our classroom RESOURCES and MY HERO TUTORIALS
Questions? Email MY HERO Educator Laura Nietzer at: Laura@myheroproject.org
Download and share the MY HERO QUICK START GUIDE.
DECEMBER 2019 

December 01      World AIDS Day
December 05      International Volunteer Day
December 10      Human Rights Day
December 15      Bill of Rights Day
December 18      International Migrants Day
December 20      Human Solidarity Day


JANUARY 2020

January            National Mentoring Month
January 17       Kid Inventors Day



Celebrate Heroes 365 Days a Year!
Check out the MY HERO CALENDAR

Join Us on Social Media
Join the MY HERO Educational Partners group on Facebook. Click here to request membership .
Please Support MY HERO
For sponsorship opportunities please contact myhero@myheroproject.org