program > education outreach FALL 2007 TRFF Film/Education Outreach Program Goal: To develop a curriculum for students of middle school age to address issues of Drug Abuse, Gangs, Bullying and Low Self Esteem. Through viewing film and participating in discussions as well as activities designed around the issues of Gangs, Bullying and Low Self Esteem the students will be more aware of the issues and the need for prevention. A collaborative team of the Education Co-Chairs Grace Hanlon, MS ED & Michelle Baratta of the TRFF, Prevention First and Big Brother & Sisters of Monmouth County will create and implement a curriculum around carefully selected films addressing the issues of, Gangs, Bullying and Low Self Esteem. The curriculum will encompass: Lesson plans/activities for the teachers to implement prior to viewing the film with the students. Class trip: The students will view the short films and engage in a Q&A with a panel of experts after the films. Lesson plans/activities for teachers as follow up to the film(s). Program Material: Education Initiative: Films and Violence Facts About Media Violence and Effects on the American Family Grace Hanlon Goal: To design the intra structure for a TRFF Youth Club in the High Schools. The goal of the club would be to have monthly screenings of films to be followed with discussions and Q & A. Club Activities: Screening of movies in school Trips to local movies/trip to NYC Screen writing workshops Volunteer work at the TRFF Outreach into the community. Develop one community service activity per year and implement. Michelle Baratta Michelle Baratta earned a bachelor degree in communications and business from Villanova University. Since then she has been committed to enriching the lives of children through volunteerism and fundraising for health and educational organizations. In 1983 she began her career working summers at Kid’s World Educational Theme Park in Long Branch, N.J. Michelle assisted in developing the concept of a hands-on interactive play center for children 2-12 years of age. Kid’s World was one of the first educational parks to exist. Michelle then went on to work for Giorgio Armani in sales and marketing for several years before starting her own design firm. Michelle has been volunteering for many years working with special needs children and adults, running the NYC Marathon four times with disabled runners and working at Saint Barnabus Medical Center Pediatric Unit and Lenox Hill Hospital. She’s been involved with committees that assist children with various needs and children that are at risk. She has worked on The Pediatric Cancer Committee and Prevention First, which is providing educational programs to children and adults on the prevention of substance abuse. Recently Michelle has been asked to chair the programming committee at The Children’s Cultural Center in Red Bank, NJ. The vision of the center is to amplify the voices and creativity of children and empower them through the arts. One of her goals is to make the center accessible to all children regardless of their abilities and to bring more exposure and opportunity in the arts to children in our community.