Coexist-Documentary Film Outreach Project

On the Road with Social Studies Teachers

Adam — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:57:58 +0000

Coexist is a documentary and educational outreach project in use by more than 3,000 schools and community organizations in 50 states and more than a dozen countries. Our project includes a 40-minute film and a four-lesson Teacher’s Guide, which can be used in the classroom and in support of positive school climate campaigns.

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Hundreds of New England’s social studies teachers gathered in Sturbridge, Massachusetts for a conference (NERC 43) on the role and future of social studies in early April. We were honored to have dozens of those teachers join us for a Special Screening of Coexist, which was moderated by David Bosso, Connecticut Teacher of the Year and Conference Co-Chair. Filmmaker Adam Mazo and I led a simulation to demonstrate how to teach the film, using activities from the Coexist Teacher’s Guide. Karen Cook of Norwich Free Academy in Connecticut sums up why so many educators find Coexist to be a powerful teaching tool by saying, “To see and hear people talk about their own experiences is especially humanizing and an important element in education.”

Teachers at NERC 43 were especially interested in new ways to teach genocide and colonial legacy. One teacher from Weston, Connecticut, Amanda Quaintance, referenced the connection between Alexander’s story in Coexist and the lives of her students. (Alexander is a bystander who participated in violence during the genocide by burning down the house of his neighbor.) “Alex gives us a great opportunity to talk about claiming mistakes whether it’s about a child running down the hall or something more serious.”

Teachers were also eager to explore how to make the connection between genocide and bullying. Former nun and author Barbara Coloroso says the common denominator between genocide and bullying is contempt. “When institutional and situational factors combine with a murderous racial, ethnic, or religious ideology rooted in contempt for a group of people, then bullying is taken to its extreme. The bullies are now well on their way to setting the stage for the dress rehearsals that precede a genocide.”[1]

We love when social studies teachers invite us to screen Coexist because they go deep into critical thinking and promotion of awareness of global issues, as well as social activism.

–Mishy Lesser, Coexist Learning Director

I welcome your comments here or on our facebook page.

[1] Coloroso, Extraordinary Evil A Short Walk to Genocide, 55-56, as quoted in Lesson 3 of the Coexist Teacher’s Guide.

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View Coexist in Schools around the world in a full screen map

How Coexist is working in Schools

Here’s a link to one example of what happens in classrooms where we teach Coexist. That school now plans to broaden and deepen the conversation about violence prevention.

Read what people are saying about Coexist here.

Introducing Coexist

Adam — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:00:39 +0000

Coexist is a documentary and educational outreach project which includes a 40-minute film, Viewer’s Guide, curricular and technical support, which constitute a ready-to-use toolkit for incorporation into programs on anti-violence, conflict resolution, anti-bullying and other standards-aligned curricula by school districts, youth development organizations, colleges and universities

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Coexist in the Classroom

As we approach the eighteenth anniversary of the start of the Rwanda genocide, teachers may be looking for resources to help their students understand the agony of what happened starting April 6, 1994, and also Rwanda’s path toward social healing.

Coexist is a forty-minute documentary film that tells the story of five survivors and three perpetrators of the 1994 Rwanda genocide, and how they live side by side today. A seven-minute video on Rwandan History provides an overview of why and how the genocide happened, and historic footage shows how the Belgian colonial overlords racialized what used to be a social difference between Rwandans. Together with Coexist, these materials comprise Disc 1.

The film and its four-lesson Teacher’s Guide are part of an educational project that aims to help students think and talk about colonialism, genocide, dehumanization, reconciliation, how to deal with difference, the connection between genocide and bullying, and their personal experiences as either victims, witnesses, bystanders, upstanders, or perpetrators of violence.

Disc 2 contains material on Rwanda’s approach to personal and social healing, and a short case about one-on-one forgiveness and the importance of doing good deeds as part of the forgiveness process.

Educators seeking lesson ideas on complex current issues will find creative and stimulating activities in the Teacher’s Guide that are of relevance to students of ELA, History, Social Studies, and those involved in positive school climate campaigns.

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How Coexist is working in Schools

Here’s a link to one example of what happens in classrooms where we teach Coexist. That school now plans to broaden and deepen the conversation about violence prevention.

Read what people are saying about Coexist here.

Stopping Hate on HMD

Adam — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:59:59 +0000

Coexist is a documentary and educational outreach project which includes a 40-minute film, Viewer’s Guide, curricular and technical support, which constitute a ready-to-use toolkit for incorporation into programs on anti-violence, conflict resolution, anti-bullying and other standards-aligned curricula by school districts, youth development organizations, colleges and universities.

Observing Holocaust Memorial Day

Our team is humbled to be a part of Holocaust Memorial Day being observed across the United Kingdom and beyond tomorrow (Jan. 27). The mission of HMD, to end hatred, is something we strongly support. Dehumanization, intolerance, and inaction led to the Holocaust and the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. Coexist works in schools and youth development organizations regularly to build social emotional skills, to teach young people to build tolerance, become upstanders, and rehumanize peers and neighbors.

We invite you to join global efforts to stop hate by signing the pledge at the Holocaust Memorial Day Site: http://www.speakupnow.org.uk/sign_our_pledge.php.

And for anyone in London please come out for a free screening of Coexist tonight! Thanks to the Survivors Fund for organizing this event. Details are available here.

How Coexist is working in Schools

Here’s a link to one example of what happens in classrooms where we teach Coexist. That school now plans to broaden and deepen the conversation about violence prevention.

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The Coexist team was interviewed ahead of the San Francisco Bay Area premiere of Coexist this Friday, November 18th at 8pm at La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley. Event info is available here: http://www.lapena.org/event/1893

To listen to the interview hit play below, wait a few moments for the show to load and then click in the middle of the time bar to jump forward to 62:00 where the interview begins.

Listen to internet radio with Wandas Picks on Blog Talk Radio

Read what people are saying about Coexist here.

Happy New Year!

Adam — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:21:32 +0000

How Coexist is working in Schools

Here’s a link to one example of what happens in classrooms where we teach Coexist. That school now plans to broaden and deepen the conversation about violence prevention.

. . .

To listen to the interview hit play below, wait a few moments for the show to load and then click in the middle of the time bar to jump forward to 62:00 where the interview begins.

Listen to internet radio with Wandas Picks on Blog Talk Radio

Find our latest post about Penn State and the failure to stand up here.

Read what people are saying about Coexist here.

Coexist featured on California radio program

Adam — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 17:20:55 +0000

The Coexist team was just interviewed ahead of the San Francisco Bay Area premiere of Coexist this Friday, November 18th at 8pm at La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley. Event info is available here: http://www.lapena.org/event/1893

To listen to the interview hit play below, wait a few moments for the show to load and then click in the middle of the time bar to jump forward to 62:00 where the interview begins.

Listen to internet radio with Wandas Picks on Blog Talk Radio

Find our latest post about Penn State and the failure to stand up here.

Read what people are saying about Coexist here.

Penn State and the Failure to Speak Up

Adam — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:12:12 +0000

Find our latest post here and below:

Read what people are saying about Coexist here.

By Mishy Lesser, Coexist Learning Director

Penn State is a tragic case study of a system that is stuck. Assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky’s sexual predation of young boys, his abuse of power, and the cover up and collusion by Penn State Coach Joe Paterno, President Graham Spanier, and graduate student Mike McQueary, are just the most recent incarnations of failed leadership. It is now known that both Paterno and Spanier were told by McQueary that Sandusky was sexually abusing boys, but they were part of a college culture that encouraged loyalty to friends, more than courage to act to stop abuse and prevent further victimization. Spanier led Penn State, starting in 1995, and Paterno’s tenure lasted 46 years. Their failure to notify police reveals greater concern for the college’s image than for the protection of victims, and the healing and justice they deserve. As 31 year-old Iraq war veteran and Penn State graduate Thomas Day wrote in a scathing criticism of a generation of failed leadership, “This failure of a generation is as true in the halls of Congress as it is at Penn State.”

Victims and their families suffered from initial response to the revelations of sexual violence at Penn State. The fact that at first 5,000 students took to the streets to show support for Paterno, rather than stood in solidarity with and concern for the victims, was surely re-traumatizing. Penn State student president T.J. Bard aptly pointed out “we watched as mayhem built a false sense of community.” It is this illusion of togetherness that can be so dangerous in human society. An unquestioning attitude, blind obedience to authority, and unwillingness to report wrongdoing by one’s friends — all these behaviors help explain why seemingly decent people fail others in times of greatest need. Thankfully, the mood shifted a week into the scandal, as students and the community became vocal in support of victims. Could that same shift happen in a pre-genocidal frenzy that can take over a society?

I am the learning director of a documentary film called Coexist and for the past year, I’ve taught the film in a variety of schools and on campuses all over North America. Coexist is a film about the complexity and limitations of reconciliation and forgiveness in post-genocide Rwanda. It is also a film about our own limitations, as a species, at recognizing and respecting difference. And it is a film about the cycle of violence, and how today’s victims can easily become tomorrow’s perpetrators, unless they learn how to stop it. When I work with students to unpack the messages of the film, as I did to a packed crowd on November 9^th at Stonehill College near Boston, they are quick to make a connection between the behaviors that contributed to genocide in Rwanda and the behaviors that leave some feeling singled out on campus. The damage caused by those who stand by and allow harm to happen to targeted groups in middle and high schools and on college campuses is oft noted with grave concern in the workshops I conduct. Making assumptions about others, name-calling, teasing, humiliating, stereotyping, intolerance, and harassment—including sexual harassment, and are all-too-common behaviors. Just last week a major national survey reported that 48% of students in grades 7-12 experienced some form of sexual harassment in person or electronically.

What a time to be working with youth to help reinforce their understanding of misuse of power, the damage caused by silence of bystanders, and the importance of becoming upstanders! Wherever we turn, there is a story about lack of leadership, collusion with brutality, and refusal to denounce deplorable behavior of friends and those seen by their peers as “nice people.” Sadly, there are far too many examples of emotional and physical pain experienced by victims, whether of child sexual abuse, bullying, or other forms of cruelty.

By teaching Coexist to new generations, we hope to help them recognize abuse, mistreatment, stereotyping, and scapegoating in all its forms, and commit themselves to stopping it and holding perpetrators accountable. As is often the case, perpetrators are themselves the product of degrading and dehumanizing circumstances. Victims, their families, as well as perpetrators must get professional and community support for healing. One of the things that can most soothe victims is knowing that onlookers will no longer be disengaged, that they’ve done an inventory of their own moral conduct, and concluded that they must step in and speak out. The creation of a strong culture of upstanders is the best insurance policy to protect future victims, whether of bullying, sexual violence, or genocide. Being a bystander is a choice, and it’s that poor choice of standing by and failing to act that allowed Sandusky to prey on more young boys for years after his criminal behavior was first discovered.

That’s a message that students, and adults, at Penn State, and in schools and communities around the world are ready to learn. Are we willing to give them the opportunity?

Students Reflect on Bullying, Genocide, & Non-violence

Adam — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 23:05:46 +0000

“A lot of people at my school need to work on taking a stand against injustices.”

Nearly 250 students, from 9th through 12th grade joined in an hour-long discussion about the documentary film Coexist at Amherst Regional High School in Western Massachusetts on Thursday October 27, 2011. Coexist Learning Director Dr. Mishy Lesser designed and facilitated the workshop prompting students to think about their own role in conflict. One student reflected, “I see fear, greed, and hate at school, which I was able to think more about.”

Teachers from English, Acting, Social Studies, and French agreed to use the Coexist Viewer’s Guide and screen the film before Mishy’s arrival. Teachers pooled their students in the library, taking over the space for five periods, thanks to generous support from the high school’s librarians. Another student observed, “You have to do something to stop harm. If everyone waits for someone else to do it, it won’t get done.”

During the workshops students developed a group definition of genocide, identified the behaviors that contribute to genocide, those that contribute to preventing the escalation of violence and scapegoating, and discussed which behaviors that contribute to genocide might be present in the school community, even if in a milder form. One student made an important connection, “Bullying is like mini-genocide. I [now see] the connection between bullying and genocide.” Another student said, “Genocide is caused by fear and greed, but also caused by people being bystanders, and people not taking action.”

Principal Mark Jackson and student leaders of STAND invited Mishy to lead the workshops. STAND is the student-led division of United to End Genocide. The event was planned over the course of several months, which allowed student leaders enough time to identify and recruit a variety of teachers to participate in the Coexist workshop. STAND group envisions a world in which the international community protects civilians from genocidal violence.

Following the workshop one student said, “In school people are quick to judge and write people off without fully understanding the other person’s situation, or even attempting to.” Another wrote, “The only way people can live in peace is if we communicate and try to practice non-violence. “

The event was made possible thanks to the generous support of Dean’s Beans Organic Coffee of Orange. The Coexist team looks forward to returning to Amherst Regional High School to work with other students and teachers, and is available to work in nearby middle and high schools.

Watch this video for a look at what a Coexist workshop looks like in action:

**What are viewers saying about Coexist?**

Audience members yearn for more time to unpack the many messages of Coexist. Here are recent comments about both the film and the debriefing discussions facilitated by members of the Coexist team:

“Coexist is a remarkable film and unparalleled in conveying the complexities of life today in Rwanda for survivors of the genocide. The experience of survivors such as Fifi and Domitilie, and the unique opportunity to hear their views in their own words, is a call to action for us all. Not only must we remember the victims of the genocide, but also the survivors still living with the consequences of genocide today.” -David Russell, Executive Director SURF (Survivors Fund)

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“This is an excellent film. Of the various films I have seen on the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide, this is the most truthful, the most real. It presents things as they are, not driven by the desire to show how wonderfully people reconcile. It shows the pain, the mistrust, with some glimmering of hope.” -Professor Ervin Staub, author of Overcoming Evil: Genocide, Violent Conflict and Terrorism (Oxford University Press, 2011) and Founding Director of the doctoral program in Psychology of Peace and Prevention of Violence, University of Massachusetts Amherst.

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Coexist was carefully and sensitively made, drawing in a variety of narratives, beliefs, and perceptions that underscore the complexity of mass violence. The video and educational programs serve as beneficial learning tools for American adults and young people who may not know much about Rwanda and have not been faced with the need for social healing and reconciliation after genocide. I especially appreciate the film for not offering simplistic remedies to the profound questions of how people live together, and live with themselves, after such atrocity. The film reminds us that we each face ourselves and manage our recovery differently, and that human beings have an astounding resilience.” – Dr. Paula Green, founder, Karuna Center for Peacebuilding, and CONTACT Program, SIT (School for International Training Graduate Institute)

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“The power of the film and Mishy’s way of inviting us to experience it deeply has Saturday evening still reverberating in me. So many levels of engagement arose as the evening progressed, with Mishy setting the context, with the brief history presented, with Mishy’s inviting and facilitating comments from the audience.” - Sarah Conn, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist and Co-Founder, Earth Circles

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“Coexist is outstanding, in part because it brings up for viewers so many profound thoughts and feelings. The film underscores our capacity as humans for evil and betrayal and injustice. And Mishy’s welcoming, context-setting, and facilitation of the debriefing were terrific.” – Robert Ryan, Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness Consultant/Coach

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“Coexist is so evocative; it crushes the heart because it is so real and tells the truth about what did happen and what could happen. I feel edified by having seen it.” – Brett Litz, Ph.D., VA Boston Healthcare System and Boston University

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Coexist in the Show Me Justice Film Festival

Adam — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 17:01:35 +0000

Check out Coexist at the Show Me Justice Film Festival in Warrensburg, Missouri on Saturday October 15th at 3:30pm. Schedule here: http://www.ucmo.edu/filmfest/schedule/

**What are viewers saying about Coexist?**

Audience members yearn for more time to unpack the many messages of Coexist. Here are recent comments about both the film and the debriefing discussions facilitated by members of the Coexist team:

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New Feedback on Coexist

Adam — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 21:00:51 +0000

**What are viewers saying about Coexist?**

Audience members yearn for more time to unpack the many messages of Coexist. Here are recent comments about both the film and the debriefing discussions facilitated by members of the Coexist team:

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Praise For Coexist

Adam — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 20:49:10 +0000

**What are viewers saying about Coexist?**

Audience members yearn for more time to unpack the many messages of Coexist. Here are recent comments about both the film and the debriefing discussions facilitated by members of the Coexist team:

. . .

“Coexist was carefully and sensitively made, drawing in a variety of narratives, beliefs, and perceptions that underscore the complexity of mass violence. The video and educational programs serve as beneficial learning tools for American adults and young people who may not know much about Rwanda and have not been faced with the need for social healing and reconciliation after genocide. I especially appreciate the film for not offering simplistic remedies to the profound questions of how people live together, and live with themselves, after such atrocity. The film reminds us that we each face ourselves and manage our recovery differently, and that human beings have an astounding resilience.” – Dr. Paula Green, founder, Karuna Center for Peacebuilding, and CONTACT Program, SIT (School for International Training Graduate Institute)

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