Samantha Smith Challenge – Register by January 15, 2018
“If we could be friends by just getting to know each other better than what are our countries actually arguing about? Nothing could be more important than not having a war if a war could kill everything”. ~Samantha Smith
Samantha Smith
Americans Who Tell the Truth (AWTT), partnering with Maine Association for Middle Level Education (MAMLE), and the Center for Innovation in Education (CIE) at Thomas College, is excited to launch the Fourth Annual Samantha Smith Challenge. The Samantha Smith Challenge (SSC), a dynamic educational program for Maine middle school students, promotes social justice through the arts. It is designed to build a bridge between the classroom and the world and to create curious, courageous, and engaged citizens. SSC projects teach students that, no matter what age, they can be part of solving the challenges and problems they see around them.
At the depths of the Cold War, when hot war between the Soviet Union and the United States seemed likely, a frightened young girl from Maine did something about that grim situation. Samantha Smith began by asking “Why?”. She went on to advocate for open communication and peace. A compelling storyteller, Samantha left us a legacy and an inspiring challenge: What can each of us do to make the world safer, healthier, and more fair?
Samantha was a narrative activist. By telling HER story she changed THE story-definitely a creative art! The power of the arts to deliver a message or to invoke action is indisputable. Americans Who Tell the Truth (AWTT) combines art and other media to inspire a new generation of engaged Americans who will act for the common good, our communities, and the Earth. Over thirty of the AWTT portrait subjects have used the creative arts to inspire action and are located on the AWTT website.
The SSC is about identifying important community and world issues, understanding them, and making a compelling argument in an effective medium. After doing extensive research and 
engaging community members and experts, student participants in the SSC will make their case for positive change. They may paint a portrait of a truthteller in their community, create a dramatic production or tell a compelling story about their issue, or write music that makes us feel braver and less alone. They may write an essay that makes a powerful argument for why we should all join in their effort to make the world a better place. Some students may choose their medium while others may be working in a specific class that teaches drawing or painting, theater or filmmaking where the teacher will define the medium.
The SSC asks, “How/why can creative arts and writing inspire action on serious issues?” All participants in this year’s SSC will gather at Thomas College on June 4, 2018 to showcase and celebrate their work.
Use the arts to showcase and bring attention to your issue, your findings, and your actions. FOR MORE INFORMATION about the program or contact Connie@americanswhotellthetruth.org. REGISTER by January 15, 2018.
I Know a Man … Ashley Bryan celebrates the life and works of an extraordinary Black artist whose life sends audiences across all races and ages a message of joy, kindness, peace and inclusion. Ashley Bryan has visited many Maine schools to share his stories. He was born in 1923 and has written and illustrated many children’s books. Most of his subjects are Black American. He was the U.S. nominee for the 
I Know a Man … Ashley Bryan (2016, 73 min) and Ashley Bryan’s World (2016, 32 min) are two important new films by Richard Kane and Robert Shetterly that can help spark needed conversations about race and racism in our country. In a media environment where Black males are often portrayed in a negative light, or only portrayed in connection with tragic news, I Know a Man … Ashley Bryan celebrates the life and works of an extraordinary Black artist whose life sends audiences across all races and ages a message of joy, kindness, peace and inclusion. We need your help to tell his story to the world 
me arts ed 