Erin Gruwell: The Freedom Writers
Erin Gruwell is an educator and president of ‘The Freedom Writers Foundation’. When Erin landed her first job at Wilson High School in Long Beach, CA, she discovered many of her students had been written off by the education system and deemed ‘unteachable’.
ABOUT TEDx
TEDx was created in the spirit of TED’s mission, ‘ideas worth spreading’. The programme is designed to give communities, organisations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TED-like experiences at the local level.
At TEDx events, a screening of TEDTalks videos or a combination of live presenters and TEDTalks videos sparks deep conversation and connections. These talks are fully planned and co-ordinated independently, on a community-by-community basis. Here at PLO.com I repost them for your convenience. All videos found in this section have previously appeared in the Major MindStylers section on the frontpage of my website. Enjoy.
ABOUT Erin Gruwell
“Erin Gruwell has earned an award-winning reputation for her steadfast commitment to the future of education. Her impact as a change agent runs deep. So deep, in fact, that her story attracted Hollywood’s attention.
In January 2007, Paramount Pictures released Freedom Writers, starring two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank as Erin. The film is based on ‘The Freedom Writers Diary’, the New York Times bestseller that chronicled Erin’s extraordinary journey with 150 high school students who had been written off by the education system.
By fostering an educational philosophy that valued and promoted diversity, she transformed her students’ lives. She encouraged them to re-think rigid beliefs about themselves and others, reconsider daily decisions, and ultimately re-chart their futures.
With Erin’s support, they chose to forego teenage pregnancy, drugs, and violence to become aspiring college students, published writers, and citizens for change. They dubbed themselves the ‘Freedom Writers’ in homage to civil rights activists ‘The Freedom Riders’ and published a book.”
The VIDEO
