Not in Our School Videos | Not in Our Town

Not in Our School Videos

Featured: Our Family

In Our Family, children share stories about all kinds of families. Today's children come from families living in one home or two, some are being raised by one mom or one dad, or they might have two parents/caregivers or live with grandparents or other family members. Others have parents/caregivers of different ethnic backgrounds, or who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. And some children are adopted or live in blended families.

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  • Our Family
    In Our Family, children share stories about all kinds of families. Today's children come from families living in one home or two, some are being raised by one mom or one dad, or they might have two parents/caregivers or live with grandparents or other family members. Others have parents/caregivers of different ethnic backgrounds, or who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. And some children are adopted or live in blended families. This short film is a collaboration between Our Family Coalition and Not In Our Town to encourage conversation about the many diverse family constellations, to give children the opportunity to see and appreciate their own families, and to be open and respectful to those who are different from them.
  • Students Map Bully Zones to Create a Safer School (3 min)
    At Orange High School in Pepper Pike, Ohio, students are mapping their school to locate the spaces where bullying takes place. After identifying the "bully hotspots," including the cafeteria, media lab, and locker rooms, students created a flash freeze demonstration to raise awareness about bullying, and opened the conversation about how to create a safer school.
  • Leaving a Positive Footprint
    After intermediate students share personal experiences, they decide to take action and invent the "Leaving a Positive Footprint" activity, where the pupils paint blue footprints with positive messages "walking" though their campus. Later, they work with first grade buddies to discuss bullying and speaking up, and together they make paper footprint cut-outs and create their own upstander messages to post around the school.
  • Not In Our Town: Class Actions Opening/Tease
    Not In Our Town: Class Actions profiles students and community members who are creating change in the wake of racism, anti-Semitism, and the traumatic consequences of bullying. Narrated by Survivor winner Yul Kwon, the half-hour documentary will debut on PBS stations in 2012.
  • Shajee's Story: Middle School Students Learn About Islam
    Seventh graders at Orinda Intermediate School are taking a personal approach to the study of Islam by inviting Shajee Syed-Quadri to be a guest speaker in their world history class. As president of the Muslim Student Association at Irvington High School, Shajee shares stories about what it's like to be a typical American teenager and a practicing Muslim. This peer-to-peer program breaks down religious and cultural stereotypes, and provides the space for students to connect and learn from each other. This film is part of a series featuring Facing History and Ourselves.
  • Break Bullying: Not in the Break Room, Not on the Playground
    Bullying: Unacceptable for an adult, unacceptable for a child. What will you do to stand up? Learn more about bullying solutions here: http://www.niot.org/blog/six-simple-solutions-bullying Produced by MAKE, a professional ad agency in Minneapolis, MN. Directed by Mike Nelson and donated to Not In Our Town.
  • White-Out to Erase Bullying
    Students at Watchung Hills Regional High School in New Jersey were fascinated when they heard about an Orange Out Against Bullying in Marshalltown, Iowa. When they got together, they decided to create their own "White-Out to Erase Bullying" event. The campaign took on the flavor of their community. Even the weather cooperated, blanketing the town with snow as high school leaders tied white ribbons on snow-laden trees and students led activities pledging not to be silent in the face of bullying at their high schools, middle schools and elementary schools. Even the mayor and city council members joined the effort.
  • Playing for Sasha, Playing Against Hate
    The packed gymnasium erupted on a Tuesday night with applause as the Oakland High School varsity boys basketball team ran onto the court for the first home game of the season. The “No H8” basketball game was created by the students to honor Sasha Fleischman, a high school senior at nearby Maybeck High School in Berkeley, CA, who was badly burned after being set on fire while sleeping on a city bus, and to remind the local community that Oakland High is a school where diversity is celebrated and students stand up to injustice. This event is just one part of an ongoing Not In Our School campaign by Oakland High School.
  • Gunn High School Sings Away Hate Group
    When the Kansas hate group known as the Westboro Baptist Church (Fred Phelps' family) announced they would picket Bay Area schools and Jewish institutions, students at Gunn High School decided they could not sit quietly. (3 min 34 sec) Check out our Local Lesson, Helping High Schoolers Take the Lead, which features an interview with Gunn High School Principal Noreen Likins.
  • Harley Club Help Students Understand "What's In a Label?"
    The Coastside Armada Harley Club rolls into Peralta Elementary in Oakland, CA for the Not In Our School Launch Assembly, and students and bikers shatter stereotypes together. When the students learn that one biker likes to play dolls with his daughter, they realize that these bikers aren't so mean and scary after all.
  • Students Tune in and Speak Out
    Palo Alto, CA students use video to talk about discrimination.
  • Toreros Take Action Against Hate at University of San Diego
    After a rash of bias-motivated incidents and hate crimes at the University of San Diego, faculty, staff and student leaders have been grappling with how to respond.
  • Azim Khamisa - FORGIVE
    In 1995, Azim Khamisa's 20-year-old son, Tariq, was delivering a pizza when he was shot to death by a 14-year-old gang member. Experiencing the pain, grief, frustration, and anger that a parent would, Azim decided that the only way he could better the situation was to use the tool of FORGIVE to ensure that this type of tragedy happens less frequently in the future.
  • White-Out to Erase Bullying
    Students at Watchung Hills Regional High School in New Jersey were fascinated when they heard about an Orange Out Against Bullying in Marshalltown, Iowa. When they got together, they decided to create their own "White-Out to Erase Bullying" event. The campaign took on the flavor of their community. Even the weather cooperated, blanketing the town with snow as high school leaders tied white ribbons on snow-laden trees and students led activities pledging not to be silent in the face of bullying at their high schools, middle schools and elementary schools. Even the mayor and city council members joined the effort.
  • Our Family
    In Our Family, children share stories about all kinds of families. Today's children come from families living in one home or two, some are being raised by one mom or one dad, or they might have two parents/caregivers or live with grandparents or other family members. Others have parents/caregivers of different ethnic backgrounds, or who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. And some children are adopted or live in blended families. This short film is a collaboration between Our Family Coalition and Not In Our Town to encourage conversation about the many diverse family constellations, to give children the opportunity to see and appreciate their own families, and to be open and respectful to those who are different from them.
  • Embracing the Dream
    Four short films about communities today reaching for Dr. King's dream
  • Be an Upstander
    This public service announcement encourages students to be an upstander. Created by high school students from American University's Discover the World of Communication Summer Program held at University of California Berkeley during the Summer of 2011.
  • Shajee's Story: Middle School Students Learn About Islam
    Seventh graders at Orinda Intermediate School are taking a personal approach to the study of Islam by inviting Shajee Syed-Quadri to be a guest speaker in their world history class. As president of the Muslim Student Association at Irvington High School, Shajee shares stories about what it's like to be a typical American teenager and a practicing Muslim. This peer-to-peer program breaks down religious and cultural stereotypes, and provides the space for students to connect and learn from each other. This film is part of a series featuring Facing History and Ourselves.
  • Jackie Rotman - VOLUNTEER
    During a dance performance on stage, Jackie Rotman's music suddenly stopped. In response, members of the audience joined Jackie on stage and began dancing to show their support. Expanding on the idea that dance can help foster a positive atmosphere, Jackie began providing hip-hop classes free of charge to youth that would not otherwise be able to afford them.
  • Try it Out: Peer Mentoring on How to Be an Upstander
    Student leaders from Del Sur Middle School in Lancaster, California visit a local elementary school and teach 4th and 5th grade students how to be upstanders. Through role-playing and interactive activities led by the middle schoolers, the younger students learn the meaning of the term "upstander" and how to effectively intervene, get help and support a peer who is being bullied. This process can be an effective tool to use with students in your own classroom and school. Please use the guidelines below and review the "Note of Caution" to ensure a positive and productive experience.
  • Students Take On Cyberbullying (8 min)
    When Facing History teachers Jamie Lott and Mary Sok asked their World Cultures class about bullying at their school, the class described the hallways as safe. But after listening to a presentation given by hate crimes task force officer Dave D'Amico, they started a discussion about the widespread problem of online bullying, and how they as a class could take the first steps toward preventing it.
  • Students Map Bully Zones to Create a Safer School (8 min)
    At Orange High School in Pepper Pike, Ohio, students are mapping their school to locate the spaces where bullying takes place. After identifying the "bully hotspots," including the cafeteria, media lab, and locker rooms, students created a flash freeze demonstration to raise awareness about bullying, and opened the conversation about how to create a safer school.
  • No Human Being Was Born Illegal (5 min)
    Each year, Facing History teacher Jane Wooster asks the students in her classes to take on a "social action" project of their own choosing. This year, several of the students have chosen to conduct a lunch-time demonstration to draw attention to the use of the word "illegal" to describe undocumented immigrants, and start a school-wide conversation about the way immigrants are perceived in their community.
  • Break Bullying: Not in the Break Room, Not on the Playground
    Bullying: Unacceptable for an adult, unacceptable for a child. What will you do to stand up? Learn more about bullying solutions here: http://www.niot.org/blog/six-simple-solutions-bullying Produced by MAKE, a professional ad agency in Minneapolis, MN. Directed by Mike Nelson and donated to Not In Our Town.
  • Lancaster, CA: A City Unites to End School Bullying
    On the edge of the Mojave Desert in California, educators, political leaders, and students join in a citywide Not In Our Town campaign as they face the dangers of bullying after teen suicides devastate two nearby towns. A local middle school counselor initiates this anti-bullying program for several districts with over 35,000 students where youth take the lead. This film features high school students mentoring younger students. It is the final segment in the PBS special, "Not In Our Town: Class Actions," which premiered nationally in Feb. 2012. For more information, visit http://www.niot.org/classactions
  • Students Teach Students to Stand Up to Bullying
    Shaw High School students use role play to discourage bullying.
  • What is Not In Our School?
    Students and teachers creating new ways to make their schools safe for everyone.
  • Keep Your Head Up: Stand Up to Bullying
    Not In Our School (NIOS) has joined forces to fight bullying with Kitarah, Maverik, and Mateo, amazing artists from KutRoc Records who shared their anti-bullying song "Keep Your Head Up" for our summer NIOS Outreach Campaign.
  • Mother Caroline Students Spread the Peace
    Dorchester, MA students speak out against violence in their community.
  • White-Out to Erase Bullying
    Students at Watchung Hills Regional High School in New Jersey were fascinated when they heard about an Orange Out Against Bullying in Marshalltown, Iowa. When they got together, they decided to create their own "White-Out to Erase Bullying" event. The campaign took on the flavor of their community. Even the weather cooperated, blanketing the town with snow as high school leaders tied white ribbons on snow-laden trees and students led activities pledging not to be silent in the face of bullying at their high schools, middle schools and elementary schools. Even the mayor and city council members joined the effort.