Freedom Writers

 

Selected Resources for Freedom Writers

Freedom Writers Foundation  a website devoted to THE FREEDOM WRITERS DIARY. How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them By The Freedom Writers with Erin Gruwell  http://www.freedomwritersfoundation.org

Movie Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT0L1U-Rdj4

TEDtalks video with Erin Cruwell the teacher portrayed in Freedom Writers.   Erin Gruwell is an educator and president of The Freedom Writers Foundation. When Erin landed her first job at Wilson High School in Long Beach, Ca, she discovered many of her students had been written off by the education system and deemed "unteachable." As teenagers living in a racially divided urban community, they were already hardened by exposure to gang violence, juvenile detention, and drugs. By fostering an educational philosophy that valued and promoted diversity, she transformed her student’s lives. She encouraged them to rethink rigid beliefs about themselves and others, to reconsider daily decisions, and to rechart their futures.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDq9o9j3-CU

April who plays Eva talks about the area she grew up in and how it made her the person she is today.   Be Heard: I am a Strong Woman  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtiF7CLw-do&feature=relmfu.

Jason Finn talks about how writing about his experiences gives them a purpose.  Be Heard: I Went Through It All for a Reason http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7UL4VQZPAs&feature=relmfu