This film examines the true impact of mentorship and its ability to validate others in an era when all of us can connect and play a part in the life and education of one another.

We commissioned filmmaker Nic Askew (http://soulbiographies.com) to make a series of films about connected learning, a new approach to learning he called “courageous” and “transformational.”

Guided by six learning principles and three core values, connected learning is the outcome of a six-year research effort supported by the MacArthur Foundation into how learning, education, and schooling could be reimagined for a networked world.

The film asks:

  • ‘Might we all have the opportunity to mentor another?’
  • ‘How powerful is a single moment of validation to a young imagination?’
  • ‘Might your influence travel further than you might imagine?’
  • ‘Teacher or not, might you have a part to play in the education of another?’

The interview subject is Brother Mike, YouMedia Coordinator and Lead Mentor for the Digital Youth Network (http://digitalyouthnetwork.org), which is supported by the MacArthur Foundation as part of its Digital Media and Learning initiative (http://macfound.org/programs/learning).

Other films in the connected learning series: