The Official
ANDRE ́ JOSEPH Website
What is Bright Spot?
BRIGHT SPOT
A Specialized Dual Student &
Educator Development Program
I want to provide awareness of my new program Bright Spot which is designed to highlight the issues surrounding student victimization, school administrator accountability and the tools needed to create a stronger learning experience.
In the past year, the rate of nonfatal victimization in high schools was 15 victimizations per 1000 students.
Nonfatal victimization among students can oftentimes involve hazing; physical and psychological bullying; cyberbullying; racial intolerance; and spreading false accusations.
Regarding the latter, I used to be one of those students. In my freshman year at a private school in my hometown, I was the victim of a false accusation that involved physical threats against my fellow classmates.
Bright Spot is dedicated to reestablishing a healthy trust between educators and students.
Its primary objective is twofold: For students to find the courage to trust their teachers when they face victimization. Additionally, for teachers to see their students as more than just a name on an attendance sheet.
At the time, my school lacked an accountability system to ensure student success when false accusations happen. Unfortunately, this false accusation impacted my school experience in the following ways:
1. Lost the confidence to succeed in the classroom and suffered bouts of depression.
2. Teacher feedback and ethics were in question as I lost trust with the educators.
3. Lacked a desire to participate in school activities.
Over time, I was fortunate enough to overcome my personal trauma. As a grown adult, I realized this dark chapter of my youth could serve as an opportunity to design an enrichment program to help prevent student victimization, the moral environment in schools and accountability as a process and resource.
Using my voice as a filmmaker to inform and enlighten audiences, it is my belief that to prevent victimization, teachers and students must be socially accountable for each other.
The structure of the program is as follows:
1. A special presentation of the 30-minute short film Dismissal Time, an award-winning drama inspired by my story as well as students of color across the country who have experienced victimization in their schools.
2. After the screening, there will be a 15-minute panel discussion between myself, your school counselors, and a special guest to be determined at a later date. The discussion will cover topics of the film’s themes, what actions and solutions are needed to address victimization, and open to a Q&A session with the students and staff in attendance.
3. The program will close with a 15-minute improv workshop where volunteer teachers and students reenact the ending scene of Dismissal Time. The roles will be reversed where the volunteer students will portray the school administrators and one volunteer teacher will portray the main character. The learning outcome of this workshop will help teachers become more empathetic towards their students. Additionally, it will allow teachers to earn their students’ trust not only in academics but also in confiding with their issues responsibly.
For more information about Dismissal Time and the Bright Spot program, please review the downloadable Teacher’s Guide for the full breakdown of the presentation. For all inquiries about booking Bright Spot in your school, please fill out the contact form below.
