My students are incarcerated in a juvenile jail 24 hours a day where they live in tiny cells. Many of my students come from poverty and have experienced trauma or community violence of some kind. Students have struggled with education and often come to the institution having dropped out of school. Up to fifty percent of our population is classified as Special Education and require services for disabilities.
Despite their often challenging circumstances, my students are resilient, brilliant youth who are working hard to transform their lives.
I am lucky enough to be their English teacher and want to give them opportunities to master tools that will help them to empower and rehabilitate themselves.
My Project
The Cinema Studies course at Juvenile Justice Center is designed to promote restorative practices and scaffold learning for incarcerated youth. As students watch and dissect movies, they learn to make connections not only to their own lives, but also to a greater, global experience, igniting further learning and self discovery. Through the shared experience of watching and analyzing movies, students receive support from the teacher, guest filmmakers, JJJC counselors, site therapists, and paraprofessionals to help dissect content in order to reach higher levels of self-discipline, empathy, and critical thinking.
Because we are located in a jail the Social Justice Screening Room is inadequate and students have a hard time actually seeing the screen.
We are not permitted to turn off the lights or darken the window, so the light makes it almost impossible to see the screens.
Please help me help our students by making their viewing experience better. They are ready to use their critical thinking skills to expand their consciousness. Thank you for your consideration!
DonorsChoose is the most trusted classroom funding site for teachers.
As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Mercurio and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
{"pmaHash":"","schoolCity":"San Francisco","showProjectRecommendations":true,"teachersOnPage":[430297],"isTeacherViewingTheirOwnProject":false,"hideTeacherDetails":false,"schoolState":"CA","teacherPossessivePronoun":"her","PMsManager":null,"schoolGradeType":{"id":4,"name":"High School"},"TeacherPMForms":{},"proposalId":3517147,"proposalMessageFormModel":null,"numActiveProjects":1,"completingDonationAmount":0,"teacherHasClassroomPhoto":true,"proposalURL":"https://www.donorschoose.org/project/bring-social-justice-cinema-to-a-juvenil/3517147/","verifyShowPhotos":"","eligibleToBeCopied":false,"mayHaveReplacements":false,"numStudents":999,"teacherScreenName":"Ms. Mercurio","isEquityFocus":false,"authorIds":{"430297":{"owner":"Ms. Mercurio","donationSalutations":{}}},"displayedPercentFunded":1.0,"proposalsOnPage":[3517147],"proposalHash":"-750766080","isApplePayMobileOnly":true,"progressBarPercentage":100.00,"pmaId":"","teacherProfilePhotoURL":"https://cdn.donorschoose.net/images/placeholder-avatars/136/teacher-placeholder-4_136.png","teacherHasProfilePhoto":false,"currentWorkflowStatusCode":21,"teacherChallengeId":33919,"photosPublished":true,"queryString":"","DonorPMForm":null,"isApplePayEnabled":true,"fundedByTarget":false,"activeProject":{"completingDonationAmount":190,"proposalURL":"project/bring-hygiene-and-self-care-to-incarcera/8316964/","proposalTitle":"Bring Hygiene and Self-Care to Incarcerated Young Women","proposalId":8316964},"donorIdsForImpactPhotoCheck":["MjY1NDI2Nw==","NjExMjc4NA==","NTI0Mzg2Nw==","NjExMjcyMg==","NTg5Njg4","NjExMTc0MA==","NDc4NTA0","NTgyODA4Nw==","NjA4MjQzNA==","NjExMjc2MQ==","NjA4Njg5MA==","NTM0MzQzMA==","NjExMTc3MQ==","MzI3MDY1NQ==","MTU2Mzg3NA==","NjExMTcyMg==","NjExMTc2NA==","NTYyNzY3Ng==","NjA4NDQ4NA==","MzUxMTMzMQ==","NjExMTc2NQ==","MTY2MTA4Mg==","NjA4OTk1","NjA4NTE3Mg==","MzgxNTA4Mg==","NTA4OTM3OA==","NTQ5NDMyMg==","NTAzNDc0MQ==","NDU2MDI1OA==","NjA4MjM1Mw==","NjExMjgzOA==","NjExMTc2Ng==","NjExMTc0OQ==","NjExMTc1MQ==","NjExMjExNw==","MTk4ODkxNQ==","NjA4MjA3Ng==","NjExMTc0Nw==","NDMwMjk3"],"teacherId":430297,"schoolCounty":"San Francisco","fullyFunded":true,"isStudentLed":false,"isExpired":true,"schoolStateObj":{"code":"CA","name":"California"}}