Documentary opens eyes on how education can change lives

Friday, Nov. 14, 2014

OGDEN — The Aquinas Institute at Saint Joseph Catholic Schools presented a free screening of the documentary “Girl Rising” at the Evans Black Box Theater of the Skaggs Fine Arts Building on Nov. 6.

The event also presented a discussion panel in which four members of the community presented their points of view.

The panel members were Barb Trask, a professor at Weber State University; film maker Jenny Mackenzie; Deanna Byck, an Ogden community member who holds a doctorate in social justice policy; and Joanna Wheelton, president of Saint Joseph Catholic Schools.

“I think that the community is looking for these opportunities to broaden their horizons and awareness of issues that are outside of our own comfort zone,” said Wheelton about having the theater filled for the documentary.

 “Girl Rising” is a global campaign for girl’s education; by storytelling, the film shares how education can transform societies.

The film “journeys around the globe to witness the strength of the human spirit and the power of education to change the world,” reads in the event program.

By featuring nine girls from Cambodia, Haiti, Nepal, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Peru, Sierra Leone and Afghanistan, the film showed how “educating girls can transform families, communities, countries and eventually the world,” reads in the program. “Millions of girls around the world face barriers to education that boys do not. Removing barriers such as early marriage, gender-based violence, domestic slavery and sex trafficking means not only a better life for girls, but a safer, healthier and more prosperous world for all.”

“I was really impressed and touched by the stories,” said Lucinda Smith, who heard about the screening through a friend who attends St. Joseph Catholic High School. “Having the opportunity to come to events such as this one makes me think a lot of how education is vital in our society, and how sometimes we take it for granted.”

The screening was part of the Aquinas Institute effort to have social justice discussions open to all community members, Wheelton said.

“One of our parents got this documentary for us, and we thought it would be appropriated for our community to see it and bring awareness of our global community,” she added. “We are thrilled to see that the people were very receptive to this idea and they have embraced it.”  

The Aquinas Institute is a community organization sponsored by Saint Joseph Catholic Schools. 

“Our mission is to engage the Saint Joseph community and the community at large with a valuable opportunity for spiritual, ethical, and intellectual growth through the lens of social justice, environmental ethics, and academic achievement,” reads in the Institute statement.

“The Aquinas Institute was formed two years ago by a group of people and myself,” Wheelton said. “I had the idea to bring an institute to the community where we could provide educational opportunities that we have at Saint Joseph, to share the resources that we have to the broader community. We tried to expand our reach a little bit and obviously, with the full house that we had ... people are very receptive to the idea.”