2011 Martin Luther King, Jr. Prgram

Get ready for a five part film series on the power of community as it relates to Dr. King's vision. Tell your friends, send your volunteers, everyone is welcome! The Great Lakes Center for Youth Development, has partnered with the Multicultural Education and Resource Center (MERC) at Northern Michigan University to bring the series to campus. The films will be open to the greater Marquette community and popcorn will be provided. The films are appropriate for all ages, but are documentaries which cater to an adult audience.

The series has been made available for public viewing by the HandsOn Network and Independent Television Service; one film will be screened every Monday beginning January 24 at 7 p.m., in Whitman Commons. The Whitman building is located on campus, between Elizabeth Harden Drive and Norway Ave. (it’s known for its big sledding hill).

January 24, Deep Down - Life in a coal-mining town, as told from two "opposing" perspectives.

January 31, Taking Root - Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai empowers women to plant trees.

February 7, The Calling - Balancing religion and a modern world - four religions represented.

February 14, Village Called Versailles - a Vietnamese suburb survives Hurricane Katrina.

February 21, Garbage Dreams - The world's largest Garbage dump is home to our best recyclers.

For detailed descriptions of the films, visit ITVS.org.

AmeriCorps* VISTA Jaime Engvall will lead follow-up discussions relating the films to Dr. King's messages about the importance of service and community action, while giving the community information about using UPvolunteer.org to find volunteer opportunities. Information about local opportunities to serve will be available, and attendees will have the opportunity to sign up for service projects right away.

Engvall has worked with NMU's leadership programs, Superior Edge and the Student Leader Fellowship Program, to make these screenings and discussions eligible for the students' required Diversity and SkillBuilder! hours, respectively.

These pictures are from the MLK Day service project our VISTA, Jim Grider, organized with fourth graders
and the high school student council at North Dickinson School.

Martin Luther King, Jr. - Dream