Press Release – Silver Spring, Maryland (January 26, 2018) – In an effort to spark a social movement against hatred in all forms, USC Shoah Foundation and Discovery Education, the leading provider of digital content and professional development for K-12 classrooms, today launched the fifth annual IWitness Video Challenge.
Designed to provide actionable ways to promote equality, while also challenging bias and intolerance, the 2018 IWitness Video Challenge encourages students to make a change in communities nationwide. First, students will hear testimonies of survivors and witnesses of genocide. They will then complete a research-based and standards-aligned activity. After being inspired to counter hate, participants will develop a community action project. To be considered for the IWitness Video Challenge, students must document their experience in a video essay for submission.
“USC Shoah Foundation is proud to continue advancing the mission of the IWitness Video Challenge,” said USC Shoah Foundation Director of Education Claudia Wiedeman. “By connecting students to the voices in the Visual History Archive, the IWitness Video Challenge inspires them to act in positive and meaningful ways, and teaches them digital skills that are important for students today.”
Last year’s winners inspired their fellow classmates to celebrate their diverse identities with a project called, “Who Are You? Embracing Identity in Our Community.”
“We want the audience to learn more about themselves, to reflect on who they are and their identities, after watching our video,” said student Yu Jing Chen, one of three students who worked together on the project. “We want them to realize that they are not alone and that they should always fight for an accepting environment.”
Previous winners wrote kind notes to every student in their school, while the first winner documented her determination to stand up for undocumented workers after being moved by testimonies of Holocaust survivors who described their struggles being undocumented immigrants themselves.
Thanks to the continued support from Ford Motor Co., which is sponsoring the event as part of its commitment to innovative educational outreach, the IWitness Video Challenge will award top entries from students, teachers, and schools with scholarships and grants.
The prizes will be distributed as follows:
- The student who creates the national winning entry will receive a $5,000 scholarship. Second place will receive a $1,000 scholarship; third place, a $500 scholarship.
- The educator associated with the national winning entry will receive a $1,000 grant to inspire, impact and implement change in their local school.
- The school or organization associated with the national winning entry will receive a $2,500 grant to implement change in their community.
Launched in 2013, the IWitness Video Challenge was designed around the premise that one person can make a difference. As USC Shoah Foundation founder Steven Spielberg said at the time of the inaugural launch, “we can use IWitness to show the power of random acts of kindness – the best way to teach empathy is by using the power of example.”
“As an educator, I have observed the positive differences in students’ behavior after partaking in the IWitness Video Challenge,” said Karen Wells from Midland High School in Pleasant Plains, Arkansas. “The contest has been a proven catalyst for change in our community and I plan on encouraging all of my students to submit entries this year.”
“The IWitness Video Challenge empowers youth nationwide to take a stand against hatred in all forms,” said Lori McFarling, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Discovery Education. “Peer-to-peer influence is powerful and we are invested in providing actionable ways for students to promote equality, challenge bias and discuss tolerance. We hope that by participating in the contest, students will be able to view the world through a different lens and recognize the importance of stopping oppression everywhere.”
Submissions for the 2018 IWitness Video Challenge are being accepted now until April 13, 2018. For more information and complete rules, visit IWitness.usc.edu.
