Humans of Gold |
Humans of Gold Hill |
A Project based on the work of Brandon Stanton's Humans of New York. |
"How do our journeys shape us?"
That is the question we posed to students before our project began. Students had spent the semester reading Homer's Odyssey and learning about the Hero's Journey. They also read Monster by Walter Dean Myers and experienced a young black teen's journey through a trial for his life. While student's learned about the theme of Journeys and how character's change throughout a text, we wanted a way for students to experience Journeys in their own lives and investigate how each individual's Journey shapes their lives. We wanted to bring the theme to life. This is how Humans of Gold Hill was born.
Earlier in the semester, Gold Hill Middle School invited school culture consultant Phil Boyte to speak to the student body. During his presentation he urged students to Break Down the Walls that divide them and really get to know the people they sit beside every day. Students were visibly moved and came away engaged in amazing conversation about how little they truly knew about their classmates. This event, coupled with the work of Brandon Stanton and Humans of New York, was the spark that ignited our students' passion to find a way to showcase the individual Journeys of our students, and how we can all relate to one another's experiences.
Earlier in the semester, Gold Hill Middle School invited school culture consultant Phil Boyte to speak to the student body. During his presentation he urged students to Break Down the Walls that divide them and really get to know the people they sit beside every day. Students were visibly moved and came away engaged in amazing conversation about how little they truly knew about their classmates. This event, coupled with the work of Brandon Stanton and Humans of New York, was the spark that ignited our students' passion to find a way to showcase the individual Journeys of our students, and how we can all relate to one another's experiences.