Here is the trailer for it:
I shed more tears watching this..than compared to "The Notebook." Giving you a little bit of background on the documentary..it was about a designer (Emily) and an architect (Matt) and their nonprofit organization called Studio H. They travelled to an extremely rural Bertie County in North Carolina to teach kids to build things that would help support their community. Many kids after graduating high school cannot wait to leave Bertie County, because there is simply nothing left there for them. It documented the struggles of how the school board fought back and didn't want them there. They were afraid of the change because it was happening all too quickly. They revoked Studio H from a teaching commission. This didn't stop Studio H. They agreed to work without pay. The high schoolers in this Studio H class ended up designing and building a building for the community: a farmers' market. It changed the entire community and people started to have some hope again. However at the end of it all, Studio H was there for two years without getting paid a single cent. Studio H decided to transition elsewhere...and now they are located at REALM Charter School. This is where I teach.
After watching this movie, it evoked SO MANY emotions out of me. I saw the raw emotions when Emily broke down crying during a scene in the film. Her vision was to help the community. Yet the very people on the school board fought so hard back to not allow that to happen. WHY? Why must people be so close minded and fixated on traditions that it closes the limited opportunities for growth? I saw how worn out Emily and Matt were by the end of August 1st and they still had not completed their farmers' market project. They essentially worked through the school year and the summer without a break not even mentioning the fact that they received NO PAY CHECK. My heart panged for their kids after they heard that Matt and Emily were leaving. In the end, this was bigger than the kids. Bigger than their education. It was about reviving rural Bertie County through this Farmers' Market building.
It made me ponder about what charity and giving back to the community means. In the documentary, when Matt was in graduate school for architecture, he built a house for his thesis. He raised enough funds to build a house. He decided that he would give the house any to someone in need. All that family had to do was pay the electronics and utilities for two years and the house would be theirs. After 9 months, not one single payment was made. Ultimately, Matt had to sign the lease over to the bank because it was too much of a financial burden on himself. He does this WONDERFUL thing. He gives someone a house. A HOUSE. But ultimately, charity is from the top trickling down. How invested was that family in this house? I have been starting to do volunteer work at a local homeless shelter. Is this where my time is best spent? Am I really making an impact on someone by opening up over 200 bags of instant mash potato mix?
It made me ponder about the Instagram app I finally had the courage to download yesterday. Is this part of the social norm for our generation? I just downloaded Instagram yesterday and started to make my profile and get followers and upload a picture etc, etc. But after watching this documentary, I believe I am going to delete it. How am I making an impact on the world by pictorially documenting every meal I eat or event that I attend? HOW?? For those minutes wasted scrolling down on the Instagram home page, could I not spend my time better elsewhere? Am I being too harsh on myself? What do I want to accomplish out of this beautiful life that I have been given.
It made me ponder what am I ultimately doing to make a difference in someone else's life?
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