Kids Corner

Film/Stage

Kid to Kid:
Sikh-American School Children Turn to Filmmaking to Educate Friends

ELIZABETH WAIBEL

 

 

 

Some Rockville (Maryland, USA) children and teens are taking their message of understanding directly to others of their own age, hoping that education can bridge gaps between people of different religions.

Hana Kaur Mangat, a 13-year-old from Potomac, and about 30 other kids ages 8 to 14 at Guru Gobind Singh Foundation Gurdwara in Rockville made a movie called “Sikh Kid to Kid” as a way to educate children and teens about Sikhism.

“It’s all kids, because it’s directed toward kids,” Hana said. “I think kids would be more intrigued by other kids rather than by having adults explain (Sikhism) to them.”

In the movie, non-Sikh children ask questions about the religion, and a series of Sikh children and teens answer, Hana said.

The moviemaking process grew out of a debate club led by Hana’s mother, Dr. Harminder Kaur. After a gunman killed six people at a gurdwara in Wisconsin last year, Hana and some of the children in the club wanted to make the movie as a way to express themselves and combat ignorance.

“During the time when all of that happened, there was quite a bit of fear,” Harminder said. “... It was such a healing experience for them.”

Hana said the 2012 shooting was a shock, especially because America is such a diverse country. She wanted to make the movie to educate people about Sikhism, because the shooting was not the first time Sikhs have been victims of hate crimes.

“If people learn about it, they’ll be less ignorant, and it will prevent future events like in Wisconsin,” Hana said.

Last Sunday -- March 31, 2013 -- the children, their parents and a few others screened the finished product for the first time at the Foundation in Rockville. Hana is planning a bigger screening for local teachers and other people who are interested. She also hopes to share the movie with schools and enter it in some competitions.

She said educating kids and people who work with kids is crucial.

“Life really begins in childhood, and I think we change and we mold ourselves depending on how we are taught,” Hana Kaur said. “In order to coexist, I think our thinking in childhood should really be that of coexistence.”

 

[Courtesy: Gazette]

April 3, 2013  

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Sikh-American School Children Turn to Filmmaking to Educate Friends"









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