Docs For Schools Citizen Minutes Hot Docs presents Citizen Minutes, a series of short documentaries highlighting ordinary Canadians doing extraordinary things to improve their communities. Meet bold and unlikely changemakers who inspire us to jump in and get involved in civic issues close to our homes and hearts. Docs For Schools is pleased to present the Citizen Minutes project films to teachers across Canada. At a time when citizen engagement is needed more than ever, through these short docs your students will meet civically minded Canadians making a difference who just might inspire students to engage within their own communities. While themed around civic engagement, there are many subjects and topics to pull from each film. We are pleased to offer teachers unlimited access to Citizen Minutes series one and two to stream in classrooms for the 2024-25 school year, along with accompanying education packages for each short film in the series. LEARN MORE Back to In-School Programs Archive: Series 2 Films Ancestral Threads D: Sean Stiller Canada 2023 12 min More Details Subjects: Indigenous, English, Language, Equity, Challenge and Change, Anthropology, Psychology and Sociology, Fashion, Civics Joleen Mitton, a Néhiyaw woman and the founder of Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week (VIFW), shows how she builds community using fashion, as she works to undo years of trauma–in herself and others. Do You Hear What I Hear? D: Cat Mills Canada 2023 8 min More Details Mufflers, honks and drilling: the perpetual soundscape of Toronto. Fed up with sleepless nights, a couple of activists take the fight to City Hall in the hopes of changing the outdated noise bylaws. Janelle Niles: Inconvenient D: Kelly Zemnickis, Cass Gardiner Canada 2023 9 min More Details Subjects: Indigenous, English, Language, Equity, Challenge and Change, Anthropology, Psychology and Sociology, Civics Despite a tumultuous upbringing that would break most, Janelle Niles confronts being Black and Mi'kmaw head-on, embracing her biracial experience and two-spirit identity, while using stand-up to heal and usher in a new era of inclusive Canadian comedy. Loud & Here D: Josiane Blanc Canada 2023 12 min More Details After noticing too many cases of sexual violence going unreported or unpunished within their own schools, 23 teen girls decide to take matters into their own hands to make meaningful change to policy affecting school boards across Quebec. Mind Check 1-2, 1-2 D: Ian Keteku Canada 2023 10 min More Details With nearly three million followers and several celebrity endorsements, rapper Akintoye is an internet sensation. Through his vulnerable art, he inspires young people to use their voices to bring awareness to mental health struggles. Rising From the Ashes D: Sara Ben-Saud Canada 2023 11 min More Details The Dépanneur Sylvestre in Gatineau, Quebec, was founded 20 years ago to address the growing number of people experiencing social isolation. Destroyed by a fire three years ago, it has now reopened using new models of sustainability to stay relevant for another 20 years and beyond. Sisterhood Softball D: Farhiya Ahmed Canada 2023 8 min More Details Following the first all-female Muslim softball league in North America, Sisterhood Softball depicts a league that empowers women through sports in a community where women traditionally don't participate and are seen as disempowered by those outside of their communities. Archive: Series 1 Films Body Politics D: Aisha Fairclough Canada 2021 8 min CC - screening with closed captions More Details Subjects: Health, Language, Civics, English, Equity, Gender, Health, Media, Politics, Canadian-World Issues In a fatphobic image-conscious world, educator, activist and eccentric cat-lady-turned-politician Dr. Jill Andrew takes her fight for body justice, human rights, representation, access and equity to the legislature as the first queer Black person elected as a member of provincial parliament. Here’s a glimpse into a 40 year story of becoming told through the eyes of her filmmaking partner...Don’t blink! Excluded by Design D: Simon Madore, Gabriel Tougas Canada 2021 3 min CC - screening with closed captions More Details Subjects: Art, Language, Civics, Design, English, Equity, Media, Politics, Technology, Visual Arts Writer and community organizer Dave Meslin thinks that bad public notices are hurting our democracy—and he's calling on graphic designers to show us what we're missing. The Gift D: Rachel Garrick Canada 2021 3 min CC - screening with closed captions More Details Subjects: Indigenous, Language, Social Studies, Art, Civics, English, Equity, Indigenous, Media, Sociology A lesson in compassion and generosity results in a lifelong gift. Set in a small Northwestern Ontario town, a father takes an opportunity to pass on important teachings to his daughter. Jean Swanson: We Need a New Map D: Teresa Alfred Canada 2021 7 min CC - screening with closed captions More Details Subjects: Geography, Language, Social Studies, Civics, English, Equity, Media, Politics, Sociology A profile of veteran activist and first-term Vancouver city councillor Jean Swanson as she works alongside the next generation of anti-poverty activists fighting systemic inequality. Mending a Crack in the Sky D: Roble Issa, Zach Jama Canada 2021 8 min CC - screening with closed captions More Details Subjects: Language, Social Studies, Civics, English, Equity, Politics, Sociology, Canadian, Canadian-World Issues Shamso Mohamoud and Shamso Elmi both lost their sons to violence and watched their alleged killers walk free without so much as a legal prosecution. Now, the two Somali-Canadian mothers have organized a group "Mending a Crack in the Sky" to collectively combat gun violence and hardship while facing cultural and racial barriers. Militant Mother D: Carmen Pollard Canada 2021 8 min CC - screening with closed captions More Details Subjects: Language, Geography, Civics, English, Equity, Gender, Media, Politics, Sociology, Canadian- World Issues To get to class on time, children from the Raymur Place social housing project were forced to jump shunting train cars that stood in their path. In 1971, after months of petitioning for a safe crossing, a group of mothers made their voices heard by blockading CN rail from delivering goods. Nourrir les Rêves D: Kimberley Ann Surin, Aïcha Morin-Balde Canada 2021 6 min In French with English subtitles More Details Subjects: Geography, Social Studies, Civics, English, Equity, Health, Media, Politics, Sociology, Canadian-World Issues In 2007, Lasallien Center opened their doors in St-Michel—one of the most disadvantaged boroughs on the island of Montreal. Nourrir les Rêves introduces audiences to Paul Evra, the young altruistic director who grew up there and is leading the center and their mission to help feed the numerous families in the area who are food insecure. Ride Fair D: Javier Lovera Canada 2021 7 min CC - screening with closed captions More Details Subjects: Civics, Economics, English, Equity, Geography, Media, Politics, Sociology, Technology, Canadian-World Issues Three fearless community organizers with a history of standing up against big tech corporations, embark on an uphill political fight to regulate Uber and Lyft in Toronto so that these companies operate in the public interest, respecting communities, drivers, and passengers. Stay up to date with all the latest news by joining our Docs For Schools email list. Questions? CONTACT US
Ancestral Threads D: Sean Stiller Canada 2023 12 min More Details Subjects: Indigenous, English, Language, Equity, Challenge and Change, Anthropology, Psychology and Sociology, Fashion, Civics Joleen Mitton, a Néhiyaw woman and the founder of Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week (VIFW), shows how she builds community using fashion, as she works to undo years of trauma–in herself and others.
Do You Hear What I Hear? D: Cat Mills Canada 2023 8 min More Details Mufflers, honks and drilling: the perpetual soundscape of Toronto. Fed up with sleepless nights, a couple of activists take the fight to City Hall in the hopes of changing the outdated noise bylaws.
Janelle Niles: Inconvenient D: Kelly Zemnickis, Cass Gardiner Canada 2023 9 min More Details Subjects: Indigenous, English, Language, Equity, Challenge and Change, Anthropology, Psychology and Sociology, Civics Despite a tumultuous upbringing that would break most, Janelle Niles confronts being Black and Mi'kmaw head-on, embracing her biracial experience and two-spirit identity, while using stand-up to heal and usher in a new era of inclusive Canadian comedy.
Loud & Here D: Josiane Blanc Canada 2023 12 min More Details After noticing too many cases of sexual violence going unreported or unpunished within their own schools, 23 teen girls decide to take matters into their own hands to make meaningful change to policy affecting school boards across Quebec.
Mind Check 1-2, 1-2 D: Ian Keteku Canada 2023 10 min More Details With nearly three million followers and several celebrity endorsements, rapper Akintoye is an internet sensation. Through his vulnerable art, he inspires young people to use their voices to bring awareness to mental health struggles.
Rising From the Ashes D: Sara Ben-Saud Canada 2023 11 min More Details The Dépanneur Sylvestre in Gatineau, Quebec, was founded 20 years ago to address the growing number of people experiencing social isolation. Destroyed by a fire three years ago, it has now reopened using new models of sustainability to stay relevant for another 20 years and beyond.
Sisterhood Softball D: Farhiya Ahmed Canada 2023 8 min More Details Following the first all-female Muslim softball league in North America, Sisterhood Softball depicts a league that empowers women through sports in a community where women traditionally don't participate and are seen as disempowered by those outside of their communities.
Body Politics D: Aisha Fairclough Canada 2021 8 min CC - screening with closed captions More Details Subjects: Health, Language, Civics, English, Equity, Gender, Health, Media, Politics, Canadian-World Issues In a fatphobic image-conscious world, educator, activist and eccentric cat-lady-turned-politician Dr. Jill Andrew takes her fight for body justice, human rights, representation, access and equity to the legislature as the first queer Black person elected as a member of provincial parliament. Here’s a glimpse into a 40 year story of becoming told through the eyes of her filmmaking partner...Don’t blink!
Excluded by Design D: Simon Madore, Gabriel Tougas Canada 2021 3 min CC - screening with closed captions More Details Subjects: Art, Language, Civics, Design, English, Equity, Media, Politics, Technology, Visual Arts Writer and community organizer Dave Meslin thinks that bad public notices are hurting our democracy—and he's calling on graphic designers to show us what we're missing.
The Gift D: Rachel Garrick Canada 2021 3 min CC - screening with closed captions More Details Subjects: Indigenous, Language, Social Studies, Art, Civics, English, Equity, Indigenous, Media, Sociology A lesson in compassion and generosity results in a lifelong gift. Set in a small Northwestern Ontario town, a father takes an opportunity to pass on important teachings to his daughter.
Jean Swanson: We Need a New Map D: Teresa Alfred Canada 2021 7 min CC - screening with closed captions More Details Subjects: Geography, Language, Social Studies, Civics, English, Equity, Media, Politics, Sociology A profile of veteran activist and first-term Vancouver city councillor Jean Swanson as she works alongside the next generation of anti-poverty activists fighting systemic inequality.
Mending a Crack in the Sky D: Roble Issa, Zach Jama Canada 2021 8 min CC - screening with closed captions More Details Subjects: Language, Social Studies, Civics, English, Equity, Politics, Sociology, Canadian, Canadian-World Issues Shamso Mohamoud and Shamso Elmi both lost their sons to violence and watched their alleged killers walk free without so much as a legal prosecution. Now, the two Somali-Canadian mothers have organized a group "Mending a Crack in the Sky" to collectively combat gun violence and hardship while facing cultural and racial barriers.
Militant Mother D: Carmen Pollard Canada 2021 8 min CC - screening with closed captions More Details Subjects: Language, Geography, Civics, English, Equity, Gender, Media, Politics, Sociology, Canadian- World Issues To get to class on time, children from the Raymur Place social housing project were forced to jump shunting train cars that stood in their path. In 1971, after months of petitioning for a safe crossing, a group of mothers made their voices heard by blockading CN rail from delivering goods.
Nourrir les Rêves D: Kimberley Ann Surin, Aïcha Morin-Balde Canada 2021 6 min In French with English subtitles More Details Subjects: Geography, Social Studies, Civics, English, Equity, Health, Media, Politics, Sociology, Canadian-World Issues In 2007, Lasallien Center opened their doors in St-Michel—one of the most disadvantaged boroughs on the island of Montreal. Nourrir les Rêves introduces audiences to Paul Evra, the young altruistic director who grew up there and is leading the center and their mission to help feed the numerous families in the area who are food insecure.
Ride Fair D: Javier Lovera Canada 2021 7 min CC - screening with closed captions More Details Subjects: Civics, Economics, English, Equity, Geography, Media, Politics, Sociology, Technology, Canadian-World Issues Three fearless community organizers with a history of standing up against big tech corporations, embark on an uphill political fight to regulate Uber and Lyft in Toronto so that these companies operate in the public interest, respecting communities, drivers, and passengers.
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