My Hero Project

The mission of MY HERO is to use media and technology to celebrate the best of humanity and to empower people of all ages to realize their own potential to effect positive change in the world. Our freely accessible, not-for-profit project is supported by visitors of all ages who share stories, art, and short films on our award-winning multimedia journal and digital library.

Highlights:

The MY HERO Project was founded in 1995 by Karen Pritzker, Jeanne Meyers and Rita Stern as a response to the lack of positive role models in the media for children. This not-for-profit website was built on the belief that people of all ages from around the world would participate by sharing stories, art, and short films that illuminate heroes from all walks of life.

MY HERO’s educational resources are used by approximately 10 million participants age 2-94 from over 190 countries each year.

Educators use The MY HERO Project in schools, libraries, after-school workshops, and community and media centers around the world to build student's 21st Century skills, stimulate character development and engage them in thinking critically about heroism, personal and cultural values, human rights, and environment issues. To support class and partner projects, MY HERO distributes DVDS, books, equipment, and lesson plans that bring students, teachers and communities together for local, international or online celebrations. Virtual classrooms called Learning Circles allow students to communicate and collaborate, fostering an appreciation for diversity and a sense of global citizenship.

Goals:

1. Educate and inspire by highlighting heroes around the world;

2. Encourage young people to identify and develop positive role models;

3. Build participants’ communication and technology skills;

4. Facilitate both independent and collaborative project-based learning;

5. Engage people in community activism and the production of positive media.

Links:

• The MY HERO Project (website) - http://myhero.com/go/home.asp
• The MY HERO Teacher's Room (website) - http://www.myhero.com/myhero/go/theteachersroom/index.asp
• The MY HERO Teacher's Room - Lesson Plans (webpage) - http://www.myhero.com/myhero/go/theteachersroom/lessons.asp

Submitted by David Loitz on: Monday, April 16, 2012 - 1:18 pm

Tags for this entry:
social justice, technology, project-based learning, positive media, communication