Dear Friends,

March is Women's History Month and we celebrate, and amplify, the voices of women working for positive change.

The MY HERO staff has curated a block of short films featuring heroic women. The total runtime is about 30 minutes and can be viewed in the classroom to spark discussions on courage, compassion and community.

We also have lesson plans based on the MY HERO Calendar, designed to bring heroes into the classroom every day of the year.

Check out our upcoming contests learn the way you can participate in our global learning community.

Sincerely,



The MY HERO Team

MARCH 2026

Women's History Month Lesson Plan

Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month Lesson Plan

March 2 - Read Across America Day Lesson Plan

March 8 - International Women's Day

March 22 - World Water Day Lesson Plan

APRIL

Poetry Appreciation Month Lesson Plan

Jazz Appreciation Month Lesson Plan

April 3 - Jane Goodall Birthday Lesson Plan

April 7 - World Health Day Lesson Plan

April 22 - Earth Day Lesson Plan

April 24-26 - Global Youth Service Day

MAY

May 1 - Sylvia Earle Ocean Conservation Film Award Deadline

May 3 - World Press Freedom Day Lesson Plan

May 22 - International Day for Biological Diversity Lesson Plan

May 29 - International Day of UN Peacekeepers Lesson Plan

JUNE

Pride Month Lesson Plan

June 1 - Mattie J.T. Stepanek Poetry Contest Deadline

June 5 - World Environment Day Lesson Plan

June 8 - World Oceans Day Lesson Plan

June 20 - World Refugee Day Lesson Plan

June 23 - Public Service Day Lesson Plan

Sponsored by the MacGillivray Freeman Films Educational Foundation’s One World One Ocean Campaign. This award honors a filmmaker whose work features heroes restoring and protecting oceans, with up to $2,000 in cash prizes.

Learn more

Open to poets, artists, filmmakers, and spoken word artists with a “heart song” about heroes working for peace, human rights, and the environment.

View contest requirements.

View all MY HERO Contests



Submissions are open for the 2026 MY HERO International Film Festival. Filmmakers of all ages and experience levels are welcome to apply. Fees are waived for students.

Early deadline - April 1, 2026

Learn about our Special Awards and Prizes

Get details and submit your short film


Click here to watch past festival winners

Check out our Filmmaking Guides:



Elementary

Middle School

High School

Resources for Documentary Filmmakers 
(make a film with your smart phone)

The MY HERO Journalism & Filmmaking Workbook is used in classrooms in the United States and abroad to guide students through reporting, storytelling, and short-film production.

The workbook, written by media teacher Jonah Steinhart, with a foreword by Global Educator Esther Wojcick, was made possible with support from the Scripps Family Impact Fund.

Request a free digital download, email myhero@myheroproject.org.

Watch the 30-minute companion video to the

MY HERO Journalism & Filmmaking Workbook



Reel Heroes: Student Films and Filmmakers

The MY HERO Global Learning Circles offers teachers and students to connect and collaborate with peers around the world.

Learning Circles is a partnership with iEARN (International Education and Resource Network). Circles consist of six to eight classrooms who work on projects based on the heroes who inspire them.

Past sessions include classrooms in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Senegal, Taiwan, Poland, Mexico, Slovenia, Ukraine, Iran, Moldova, Tunisia, Romania, Georgia, Algeria, Canada, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Pakistan, Sierra Leone and South Africa.

Each session is five weeks long. The next session begins this month and the last day to register is March 9, 2026.

For more information, contact Naomi Gledhill at: naomi@myheroproject.org

Saint George Thompson

Last month, MY HERO Founder Jeanne Meyers and Mentor Saint George Thompson attended the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) Conference at the Long Beach Convention Center to share information about curriculum resources and the Journalism & Filmmaking Workbook.

We need your support for The MY HERO Project so we can continue to provide free educational resources to millions of teachers, students, and families around the world.

Help support MY HERO's global learning community.