The Boys of Baraka (2005)

Why has this idea not been given more attention?

Perhaps I'm biased as I work with at-risk teens, plus I lived in Kenya for a year myself... but this documentary encapsulates an incredible idea that I believe could easily be replicated if people truly caught the potential behind such an idea. While sending a group of teens to Africa is on a very large scale, this could be done on a smaller scale and produce a very similar result. Taking ourselves out of our comfort zones tends to produce in us fertile ground for breaking through rock and stretching out new roots to produce new fruit.

Since I didn't hear about this film in a conventional way, but rather accidentally, I am not expecting this idea to suddenly catch and become the trend that environmentalism has become. However, I hope to replicate this idea one day. I guess we'll see what happens.

While this film is disappointing in that the whole story was not able to be completed (due to unforeseen circumstances, not due to the documentarian's fault), the story is inspiring and brings hope to a grim future for so many young people who are a victim of their surroundings/circumstances. September 1, 2008

Watch this DVD!

I had the wonderful opportunity of going to the premiere of this movie. In attendance were the director and several of the young men who were in the documentary. The film itself was both heart breaking and frustrating, and hearth warming and inspirational. Having the opportunity to talk with these young men after the movie was life-altering. They are amazing and I hope they have all gone on to achieve their dreams! The experience has touched me deeply and I have given this DVD as a gift to everyone I know. May 15, 2008

Heart Wrenching

This film is amazing and heart wrenching. I teach high school and I am going to show it to my Peer Counseling kids. It is very interesting and thought provoking. September 4, 2007

The Boys of Baraka

Film-makers Ewing and Grady offer an intelligent, insightful look at the devastating realities of life in the crime-ridden ghettoes of Baltimore, a city where only one-quarter of young black men will ever graduate high school--and most, as one counselor grimly reminds prospective applicants, will wind up in jail or dead. "Baraka" takes us into the school hallways and homes of its three principal subjects, and features poignant one-on-one interviews with teachers, family members, and the boys themselves, whose honesty about the circumstances of their lives butt against their hopes and dreams. The Baraka School may be a safe haven from the streets, but it has its own hardships, too. Join these "Boys" on a compelling and inspirational journey. July 25, 2007

Inspirational

Inspirational movie about the inner strength all of us have. Everybody deserves a chance! and this movie reflects that belief May 13, 2007

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