Background
HIDDEN HEROES is an outgrowth of a project entitled "Harlem Is…" Run by Community Works, a New York City-based nonprofit, the project involved two public middle schools in Harlem. Students at the schools discovered the rich history of their own community by identifying, researching and interviewing its local heroes and leaders, and recording their unique stories on digital video. We felt that the model of the "Harlem Is…" project could be replicated nationally, because every community has a story, and every community has young people who can tell that story profoundly and creatively.

Over the 2002-03 school year, we piloted the Hidden Heroes curriculum in three locations around the country: Appalachia, Twin Cities, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Youth from all three areas identified local heroes from their communities and captured their stories on digital video. The youth selected a broad range of heroes - from a banjo player in Kentucky to a World War II veteran in St. Paul to a young filmmaker in San Francisco.

Through discussion prompts, lesson plans and production activities, this project encourages youth to think critically about who a hero is and what values a hero represents. In the process, youth will become detectives, journalists, storytellers, and filmmakers by uncovering the HIDDEN HEROES of their communities, capturing their stories, and then presenting those stories to a public audience.