SIMA Academy Testimonials
EDUCATOR
“SIMA has been an invaluable resource in all my classes. As an instructor of a highly interdisciplinary core curriculum, it helps me expose my students across all majors to social impact issues around the globe. The videos are brief, engaging, and of very high-quality, and they explore a wide variety of topics including technology, poverty, environmental justice, equity, and inequality, just to name a few. SIMA videos enrich my course content without taking up much of my class time. Students thoroughly enjoy the videos also because they know that they are giving back to those who produce them! Easy to navigate and rich in content. I can’t imagine my classes without SIMA in them!“
— Timea Varga, Assistant Professor, Lynn University
EDUCATOR
“From a teacher’s point of view, I couldn’t have asked for a more engaging process. I’ve never seen a class so motivated and inspired… The conversations about the films and the subjects didn’t stop when they left my classroom. They continued throughout each student’s life and crossed over into other classes. Seeing this impact is absolutely inspiring as an educator. It helped strengthen their studentship skills, broaden their perspectives, enlightened them, and educated them in various subjects. Collaborating with SIMA helped inspire my students to become responsible, global citizens who are now motivated to get involved.”
– Michelle Bernstein, New Roads School, US
PARTNER
“In collaboration with SIMA Academy, APCEIU was able to open a new door to teach global citizenship for its educators and youth leaders. Numerous educators around the world have discovered an impactful method of teaching global citizenship through documentary films by participating in APCEIU-SIMA joint projects, including virtual screening events, live discussions with filmmakers and global citizens, and online courses and webinars on documentary films by SIMA. We will continue to enhance our partnership with SIMA Academy so that more educators and young people can benefit from the power of films!”
– Ms. Jihong LEE, Head of Office of Education and Training, UNESCO-APCEIU
EDUCATOR
“My class is very social justice based – so having films that play to that make the themes come alive for students. My students feel compelled to make the world a better place…and I think that they won’t know what to fix until they examine our world today through different perspectives.”
– R.H., Humanities Educator, US
EDUCATOR
“I believe my students have learned so much about how they are part of the world and what it means to be connected to everyone everywhere through their shared humanity [with SIMA Academy].”
– Twamsen Danaan, Filmmaker and Educator, Agape Chamber Academy, Nigeria
“SIMA Academy worked with us at the Ban Ki-moon Centre to enrich our online courses on global citizenship. SIMA shared their interesting films illustrating action on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and global citizen values. Films can often say more than a thousand words! Thank you SIMA.”
– Monika Froehler, Executive Director, Ban Ki Moon Center for Global Citizens
PARTNER
EDUCATOR
“SIMA Films are a powerful tool not only for developing listening and speaking skills and vocabulary but also a great way to develop students’ global competence, empathy and leadership skills.”
– Hanna Dudich, Educator, Taras Shevchenko Himnazia High School, Ukraine
EDUCATOR
“Films can do what textbooks cannot do…The students actually felt quite engaged throughout the learning process. These films helped in initiating some very important conversations surrounding sustainable development goals. Students saw themselves as citizens who can contribute to the solutions and to a better future eventually, and this was an important aspect.”
-Rajvi Trivedi, CHRIST University in Bengaluru, India
PARTNER
“I love SIMA Academy because the films are so authentic. They are made by filmmakers who seek truth. As an educator who works with young people across the globe, I can tell you that this next generation is tired of wading through overly spun stories that serve an agenda that is of little interest to them. Young people want to see films made by real people who they can trust to tell the story exactly how they see it. Because of the selection criteria for films, every single one of them has to pass the sniff test for relevance, legitimacy and true impact. The resources developed by SIMA Academy support students to verify what they have learned, consider various perspectives and think critically about the media that they consume. With the added support to apply their learning by taking action, SIMA brings IMPACT full circle. In this way, SIMAAcademy is the best media literacy resource I know for educators who care about social justice.”
– Jennifer Gesit, Global Education Consultant, Zeitgeist Creations
EDUCATOR
“I am grateful to SIMA Academy for opening my doors. I had the chance to explore what I could do more to improve teaching and learning.”
– Francisco Santiago Roxas, Educator, Philippines
EDUCATOR
“Wow! Fantastic resource for our school through the lens of activism, social justice, and service learning. I can’t wait to share this with our whole school community.”
– Kate Klaire, Student Life Coordinator, The Berkeley School, US
“SIMA Academy is the Netflix for changemakers and anyone interested in global stories that are told through a local lens. In today’s media landscape, it is hard to get beyond our own bubbles, so having a locally sourced and globally curated resource for high quality impact media content means you can quickly educate yourself on any number of subjects and hear voices and perspectives that you might otherwise miss. If you are an educator, this is a must-have resource, bringing essential stories into your classrooms and curricula and helping to make sure your syllabi includes more diverse perspectives.”
– Daniela Papi Thornton, Founder Systems-led Leadership, Former Deputy director, Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship
COMMUNITY PARTNER
EDUCATOR
“SIMA Academy does not only enhance our school programming but it also enhances our school wide equity and social justice work.”
– West Willmore, Rainbow Community School, US
STUDENT
“When you actually see an inspiring film, it touches you in no way possible by other forms of media. You can feel inspired and have a connection with someone across the world, thus leading to a more global way of thinking.”
– S. Prevatt, Student
PARTNER
“At the Skirball, we believe deeply in investing in the potential of young people, and inspiring them to help envision and share a better future for us all. For the last few years, we have had the privilege of working with SIMA and sharing in their mission of celebrating global changemakers while inspiring future leaders. We have seen first-hand the impact on our student audiences, with each film screening and dialogue creating a call to action and providing tools to implement social change, individually and collectively. We look forward to collaborating with SIMA again in the future.”
– Lori Nierzwick, Associate Educator, School and Performance Program, Skirball Center
STUDENT
“This has been one of my favorite classes because of what we do. Watching and learning about these films has also made me want to act more on the injustices. Evidently these topics are talked about in classrooms, but if we were able to show the documentaries it would vastly improve our conversations.”
– A. Aquino, Student
STUDENT
“This has shown me what real responsibility is. I think that I have grown as a sophisticated human being and I have learned a lot about serious topics and problems that people have to face every day around the world.”
– J. Wilkenfeld, High School Student
