TEACHED Update Dec. 14, 2016

Getting to the Goal!

We are in the final three days of our Kickstarter campaign to finish TEACHED Vol. II. Please make a pledge today and help us get to the finish line!

We are asking for your help to:

-  Go to the TEACHED KICKSTARTER campaign and make a pledge,

-  Send a personal email to friends and encourage them to make a pledge,

-  Post your support on your Facebook page,

-  Make some Twitter magic happen (easy: retweet what we write as TEACHED)

Be sure to include the link to the campaign: kck.st/1CHKgUG and mention that pledges of $500 and up can be tax-deductible (choose "no reward" & email info@teached.org).

Some TEACHED facts you can share:

• The TEACHED film series was created by Kelly Amis, a former South Central, Los Angeles teacher, Fulbright Scholar and winner of Teach for America's Social Innovation Award.
• The first three TEACHED films, called TEACHED Vol. I, candidly examine the school-to-prison pipeline, teacher tenure, and public charter schools. TEACHED Vol. I premiered at the Napa Valley Film Festival, won two film festival awards (Amsterdam and Williamsburg), was screened at SXSWEdu, the National Charter School Conference, the Black Alliance for Educational Options Symposium, the ASU-GSV Education Innovation Summit, and 70 more festivals and special events in the U.S. and abroad.

• Since being picked up and streamed on SnagFilms.com about a year ago, TEACHED Vol. I and additional TEACHED online videos have received nearly 400,000 views.
• TEACHED Vol. I was included as a trial exhibit in the historic Vergara v. California State Supreme Court case about teacher tenure and seniority, a case that may reach the U.S. Supreme Court in the near future. It was named as one TakePart's "10 Education Documentaries Not to Miss" and Online Universities "25 Best Movies About Education Ever Made," and also featured in such varied media as USAToday, the Harvard Law Review, the Huffington Post and One Day magazine.

• The three new films, or TEACHED Vol. II, look at students both inside and outside of school to look at what urban minority youth accomplish when given the chance, and the forces that too often prevent black males in particular from fulfilling their potential.  The synopses of these new films, Code Oakland, Think of Calvin and Offsides, plus film teasers, are included on the Kickstarter page.

• Questions? Contact us at info@teached.org. Need more background or details? Look at our website: www.teached.org. Now let's make this happen! Three days left and then we can get these films in front of audiences!

What you can do

We have less than two weeks to go in our Kickstarter campaign to finish TEACHED Vol. II: three new short films about race, education and equality. You can watch the trailer for two of themon Kickstarter: Code Oakland and Think of Calvin.

Many independent film projects like ours rely on crowdfunding: lots of people giving what they can.

Please make a pledge today and share the news with everyone you know.

Other ways to help:

• Send an email to 10+ friends! Copy, paste and send:
• I made a pledge to this Kickstarter campaign for the awesome independent film project TEACHED, because I believe we need more ways to bring communities together for candid discussion around issues of race, equality and opportunity. TEACHED short films, produced and directed by former teacher and long-time education equality activist Kelly Amis, focus on the experiences of urban youth in America today. Please join me in helping TEACHED finish three new films; you can watch the trailer for the first one, "Code Oakland," and read more about the project, HERE.

• Tweet for us! Copy, paste and tweet:
• I made a pledge 2 @TEACHED Kickstarter b/c I believe in #edequality & the potential of all children. Pls join me! http://kck.st/1CHKgUG

• Like us on Facebook and join our mailing list if you're not already on it; go to www.teached.org and fill out sign-up form on the right column.

Everything you do helps us one step forward. Have a great day and thank you for your support. We can't do it without you!

TEACHED KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN = THREE NEW FILMS

Dear supporters and education equality warriors,

We have just launched a Kickstarter campaign to help us finish three new short, cinematic films about urban minority youth in America. We are very excited about these films, which share stories that are inspiring, candid and sometimes outrageous. These are stories of typical black boys and men in America who face what should not be typical for anyone: institutions and policies --- not to mention portions of society as whole -- that treat them in significantly different and unjust ways, bringing into question our most basic principles of democracy and equality.

Please check out our Kickstarter campaign for more information about the films. Each week we will premiere a new trailer for one of the films, starting with Code Oakland, which you can watch now!

It takes a village to raise a child, and we've learned it takes a HUGE crowd of supporters to make a film about that child! TEACHED films are independent, non-profit and intended to be shared with communities across America to get more conversations going and bridges built between diverse populations. So please join our effort to put more stories like these "on the loudspeaker" and support our Kickstarter campaign today (and pssst -- please pass it on)!

Where Your Money Goes When You Donate to TEACHED

TEACHED is a not-for-profit project produced by Loudspeaker Films, an independent film company with a social justice mission. TEACHED addresses some of today's most challenging education issues, from the under-education and over-incarceration of minority youth to the fight over teacher tenure.

The first set of TEACHED short films, TEACHED Vol. I, has been screened over 60 times across the country at interactive, community-based events that bring people together for candid discussion, response and action-planning. These screenings have featured speakers ranging from teachers, former gang members, parents and local leaders to national figures including BAEO Founder Howard Fuller, former Washington, DC Mayor Adrian Fenty and Dropout Nation's RiShawn Biddle. TEACHED Vol. I won two film festival awards and was named by TakePart as one of 10 Education Documentaries Not to Miss. The TEACHED Vol. I films plus our ancillary video content (such as our "On the Loudspeaker" interview series and videos we've produced with students) have been viewed online nearly 300,000 times.

When you support TEACHED with a donation, your money goes towards:

• Production and post-production of the films. We currently have six new short films and our first feature-length film in production. Donations we receive right now will help us finish TEACHED Vol. II before the end of the year.
• Organizing interactive screenings of TEACHED Vol. I for university students, teachers, parents and other audiences seeking education action in their community. We require a modest screening fee from groups hosting a TEACHED screening, but provide them with much more than the fee covers, including collateral art and planning assistance to ensure a successful, high-impact event.
• Outreach. Your donations support staff to update our website, social media and marketing; develop relationships with targeted groups; and build a strong foundation of support for TEACHED now and into the future.

We have been overwhelmed by the response to TEACHED Vol. I and the incredible support we have received from parents, community leaders, donors, film and marketing professionals (providing their services pro bono or at reduced rates), and non-profit groups of all sizes. Because of this support, we know the time is right for TEACHED: for putting new voices "on the Loudspeaker" and for helping the public understand why and how education in America must be transformed.

We thank you for your support and helping us share the stories of students, parents, teachers and education leaders on film. If you'd like to make a donation today, please click below.

The Many Ways to Host a Successful Interactive TEACHED Screening

Since its premiere, TEACHED Vol I has been screened more than fifty times coast-to-coast by groups and individuals committed to educational equality.  Education champions are using this trilogy of short documentary films to engage their communities and provoke thoughtful debate around education issues, especially the school-to-prison pipeline, teacher quality and charter schools.

Whether your screening is for 8 or 800 people, we can assist you in making sure your event has maximum impact. Here are some ways you can use the TEACHED Vol. I films to raise awareness around education inequality nationally or in your community: 

Show All Three Short Films At Once

TEACHED Vol. I includes three short films, all under 15 mins, which allows you to host one screening interspersed with guest speakers and panel discussions after each one.

We can assist you in securing speakers at your event and help you create an agenda to possibly include a reception, live entertainment, audience Q&A, information tables and more!

Screen Each Film Individually

Screening the films individually gives you time to more deeply immerse your audience in the issues each one addresses and discuss how they effect your community locally.  

Interactive screenings are effective ways to group together and find solutions for education equality within your hometown.  Consider ending your event with time for group brainstorming and action-planning.  

Have Your Local Library Purchase the TEACHED DVD for Screenings

Ask your local library to purchase the DVD for screening use and encourage your colleagues and friends to (literally) check it out.  You can have the screenings in your home, in your dorm or practically anywhere!

Your library might even help you host a screening onsite as well. This is an excellent way to really get the word out and host many intimate screenings.

Be sure to take advantage of the many resources we have including staff to help you plan your event, marketing materials such as posters and flyers, our email and social media community where we can promote your screening and even tee shirts and swag for you to purchase.  

We have met a lot of amazing people through TEACHED interactive screenings and we look forward to connecting with you and your community.

For more details and information please see our Host A Screening page or contact us directly at screenings@teached.org.

Happy Holidays from the TEACHED team!

Happy Holidays from the TEACHED team!

As 2014 nears, we wanted to give our many friends a 

SNEAK PEEK

 at what we've been working on and thank all of you who support our efforts to bring social justice and education equality to the forefront through film.

The 

TEACHED

 films are independently-produced, made possible through contributions from supporters like you. So please 

DONATE to TEACHED

 today and help us continue to develop films that engage individuals and communities towards social change.

  Watch the 

SNEAK PEEK

 of the films we've been working on (two new TEACHED films and a short documentary about a fabulous program called HealthCorps):

We believe short films provide great tools for bringing diverse communities together for interactive events and candid dialogue. We thank the fifty-plus groups that organized 

TEACHED screenings

 this year and look forward to working with more of you in 2014!

Best wishes to you and your families for a safe and joyous holiday season,

The TEACHED Team

SUPPORT TEACHED TODAY