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Shaking the Tree is HRFFN’s travelling human rights film festival, aimed at educating Nepal’s youth about human rights and current social issues.
In response to the enthusiastic response by students, faculty, and administrators from Kathmandu schools to the 2011 travelling human rights film festival, HRFFN has begun planning a more robust and expanded school program which will run for three months, beginning in the fall of 2012. The festival will present a mix of Nepali and international films, with a focus on documentaries addressing current human rights and social issues. The target population will be students, ages 16-22 years old. Films will be accompanied by speakers on the issues, as well as curriculum materials which will help students explore both the films and issues more deeply. Issues which will be addressed include: rights of workers, impunity and the rule of law, reconciliation and peace, child and human trafficking, and child labor.
The festival will continue to screen films in Kathmandu Valley, but will also expand to other cities and communities across the country. Partner organizations will help with outreach and logistics. Both government schools and private schools will participate in the project. Following the hiring of staff, the project will begin outreach to schools in Kathmandu and in other parts of Nepal starting in July. School programs will commence in September, with 3-4 schools per week participating by October. The project will reach 30-40 schools in Kathmandu valley and 20-30 more in other parts of the country. Most students will engage in a learning process about human rights issues for the first time in their lives. Films and speakers will be a catalyst for learning, and curriculum materials will enrich and deepen the learning process.
Supporters and sponsors of Shaking The Tree include the embassies of Switzerland and the United States in Nepal.
Shaking the Tree – Kathmandu (September 2012)
Students from four valley schools participated in shaking The Tree Human Rights Film Festivals in September. Rato Bangala and Ullens hosted the festivals with students from 2 nearby schools joining for some of the film screenings. Rato Bangala students organized their festival as an after school project, with a student team taking the lead in facilitation and promotion. Ullens organized their festival during school hours with most of their upper level students seeing at least 2 films. Students returned to their class rooms following each film for in-depth discussions. All the schools are planning follow-up programming, and NHRFF will be working with Rato Bangala students to support them bringing Shaking the Tree to partner schools they will be visiting in January in eastern Nepal.
Shaking the Tree – Gorkha (27-29 September 2012)
The NRHHF team travelled to Gorkha for 3 days of programming with students, teachers, and the community. Nelta, a national teachers organization, hosted a special screening and meeting for teachers the first day. Eighty students from ACCESS, an english language program supported by the US State Department saw films and participated in follow-up activities facilitated by an ACCESS team of teachers. And over 500 people from the community packed the local cinema to see Kesang Tseten’s film, Saving Dolma. Thank you Harimaya, vincent, and all of the NELTA and ACCESS team for making this a wonderful success.
HRFFN will be working with ACCESS in Kathmandu, starting in early December with a Saturday morning film series, and will be returning to Gorkha to collaborate with NELTA and ACCESS in 2013.
Shaking the Tree – Dhading (7-8 September 2012 and 26-29 November 2012)
At 7th and 8th of September 2012 Shaking the Tree visited Shree Jana Jagriti Secondary School, Mahadevbesi, Dhading. Teachers and the students were very happy to take part in our project and see the lives of people which really present the real situation of their own family members and communities. They became eager to learn more about the situation and committed us that they will ask their parents, family members to try to know more the situation of Nepalese in the gulf countries and think more what can be done to make the situation better.
The program also included the meeting with teachers about how the human right education can be promote in the schools, what can be the sources to get help to support human right education in the school. It was a very successful and a meaningful day.
More programs are planned for 26th and 27th of November 2012 at Mahakali Higher Secondary School, Simle, Dhading and 28th and 29 of November 2012 at Khanikhola School, Khanikhola, Dhading.
Shaking the Tree – Dolakha (3-8 October 2012)
The HRRFN team traveled from Kathmandu to Dolakha at October 2, 2012. During a 6-day stay, we organized 7 screenings at 3 different schools. In these 7 screenings we showed movies to over 1200 students. At the 3rd and 4th of October 2012 we were at Bhim Higher Secondary School, Dolakh; at 5th and 6th of October 2012 we visited Kalika Higher Secondary School, Sundrawati, Dolakha; and at 7th and 8th of October 2012 we organized screenings at Gaurisankar College, Charikot, Dolakha.
Students and teachers participated in the screening and the interaction program after the movies. We were inspired by the community people to have a community show in Sundrawati, Dolakha, which attracted over 100 people to view Frames of War and The Desert Eats Us. News reporters from local F.M. radio also participated in our program in Gaurisankar College in Charikot and covered our news. The community encouraged us to have more programs in the future about children’s right issues like, street children, child labour and domestic workers children.
Read the full article about Shaking the Tree Dolakha
Shaking the Tree – Jhapa (10-12 October 2012)
10th, 11th and 12th of October 2012 in Damak Jhapa
