screening | Millersville University Department of English & World Languages

On Wednesday, February 28th, there will be a showing of the award-winning documentary “Little Stones” with a pre-screening panel discussion. The film is designed to raise awareness about global women’s rights issues and to celebrate entrepreneurial, creative, and arts-therapy based solutions to the most pressing challenges facing women globally.

“I always feel the movement is a sort of mosaic. Each of us puts in one little stone.” -Women’s Rights Activist, Alice Paul

The pre-screening panel discussion will begin at 6:15pm, the movie will begin at 7pm, and the talk-back with Sophia Kruz will begin at 8:30pm.

Director Sophia Kruz will be on campus Feb. 28 – March 1, available to visit classrooms, community groups, etc. and will be conducting a talk-back after the screening.

The pre-screening panel discussion will be led by:

Ms. Almaz E. Amante, Keystone Human Resources/CWS volunteer. (Ethiopian native experienced in women’s empowerment and micro-financing.)
Dr. Carol Davis, Franklin & Marshall College, Professor of Theatre (founder and artistic director of Nepal Health Project, an educational and charitable theatre company that has served half a million villagers in rural Nepal.)
Ms. Brittany Leffler, YWCA Certified Trauma Practitioner.
Dr. Kimberly A. Mahaffy, Millersville University, Professor of Sociology and Director of Latina/o Studies / Coordinator, Office of Diversity and Social Justice
Dr. Wanja Ogongi, Millersville University, Professor of Social Work (Interest in Human Rights with focus on women and children.)
Ms. Julie Peachey, Director, Innovations for Poverty Action
Dr. Elizabeth Powers, Millersville University, Professor of Education (Chair of Commission on Status of Women)

You can watch the trailer here. Tickets are $7 for Adults, $5 for students or free if you contact Barry Kornhauser while available.

On April 5th in the Clair Auditorium (in the Winter Visual and Performing Arts Center), the English Department and the Center for Public Scholarship and Social Change will sponsor a screening of the film Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the Science of Hope.

Doors open at 5:30pm, the panel will start at 6pm, and the film will begin at 6:45pm. Meant to make the science of Toxic Stress accessible to everyone, Resilience showcases some of the brave and creative individuals who put that science into action for social change.

The panel members will include members of the Millersville University faculty, including:

Dr. Andrew Bland – Psychology Department
Dr. Marc Felizzi – School of Social Work
Dr. Alex Redcay – School of Social Work
Dr. Carrie Smith – Sociology Department

The effects and solutions for Toxic Stress and Adverse Childhood Events (ACE’s) are the main focus of this hour-long documentary. Director James Redford explains,

Director James Redford

“In the United States, we spend trillions of dollars every year treating preventable diseases, rather than intervening before a patient is sick and suffering. We have a zero-tolerance, ‘suck it up’ culture that judges and punishes bad behavior, rather than trying to understand and treat the root cause of that behavior. But now, with this new body of scientific knowledge available, we are learning there are better ways of dealing with these seemingly intractable problems.”

The original research was controversial, but the analysis of that research revealed this generation’s most important public health findings. Toxic Stress and ACEs are now linked to chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer, along with other ailments such as substance abuse and depression. Stressful childhood experiences can alter brain development and have lifelong effects on health and behavior.

According to the experts profiled in Resilience, however, what’s predictable is preventable. These educators, physicians, social workers and communities are talking about the effects of divorce, abuse, and neglect so the next generation can break the cycles of adversity and disease.

Free tickets for this event can be found at the SMC Ticket Window of in the Winter VPAC Ticket Window before the event.

Find Your People Here