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Lessons in Film Education (LIFE)

Arts-enriched
educational experience

Developed by BARC, Lessons in Film Education (LIFE) uses movies as an innovative educational tool to enhance and supplement current curricula in public schools, including films relevant to learning objectives in art, language, mathematics, science, and social studies.

Exposure to the arts in an educational setting contributes to the success of students.

A 2019 Brookings study titled “New Evidence of the Benefits of Arts Education” found that “a substantial increase in arts educational experiences has remarkable impacts on students’ academic, social and emotional outcomes.” 

Without intervention, poverty is often generational. Education is a critical factor in breaking the cycle of generational poverty.

Earnings for high school graduates were 25% higher than wages for workers without a high school diploma in 2020.  Staying in school has value. With poverty rates far above the national average, students from Mercer County benefit significantly from efforts which encourage them to complete their education. 

The LIFE program provides that encouragement.

An education which includes the arts recognizes that schools are training not just our future labor force, but our next generation of citizens, leaders, and voters.

The purpose of the program is to provide an arts-enriched educational experience for students while providing teachers with a creative way to better engage students. 

Students also gain an introduction to how filmmakers craft and tell their stories, with the goal of expanding their communication skills using visual media.  The LIFE program features in-theater lessons led by BARC’s staff before and after seeing the film in the Granada Theater

Pictured: Brian Tracey, BARC Executive Director, delivering a lesson plan to students through the LIFE program

Since the program’s inception in the fall of 2021, more than 5,000 students from twenty different Mercer County schools have participated in the LIFE program.

5K+

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