About the New Faces Project

North Carolina has experienced a rapid increase in new Latino populations in every county, from the coastal region, to the piedmont, to the mountains. Teachers and community leaders have expressed concern about the lack of relevant classroom materials to address this population shift.

New Faces: Latinos in North Carolina was developed because all North Carolina classrooms and communities need materials that will help students better understand the complexity and beauty of  North Carolina’s growing Latino population. Through this curriculum students will understand that the stories of North Carolina’s Latinos are not that different from the immigration stories of other settlers from the 17th to the 20th Century. The New Faces educational materials pair documentary film clips with lesson plans based on eighth grade North Carolina Standards of Study.

Working Films recognized the need for educational materials that break down stereotypes and misunderstandings about North Carolina’s booming Latino population and thus began work on the New Faces curriculum project.

The New Faces project examines the economic and cultural contributions of Latino workers to N.C. and can be considered a stand-alone module. It is also the fourth unit in another Working Films media-based, curriculum project, On the Job in North Carolina: From Farm to Factory to Fast Food which is currently running in more than 250 classrooms and reaching an approximate 6000 students. On the Job in North Carolina: From Farm to Factory to Fast Food is an economic history curriculum for North Carolina 8th grade students and teachers. Like all the units in the series, On the Job in North Carolina helps students understand how each individual’s story and each family’s story are part of the whole story of North Carolina economics.

PRIMARY GOALS OF THE NEW FACES PROJECT:

• To summarize the contributions of Latinos to North Carolina’s economy and culture, especially emphasizing workplace histories and issues left out of traditional Social Studies.
• To build bridges of understanding, encouraging students and other North Carolinians to see themselves as connected to all NC residents.
• To educate students and community members about the positive and negative changes, shaping the economic future of NC and the US, and to create awareness for how these changes may affect their own futures.
• To give students critical workplace skills.
• To have students understand how race has played a part in the economic history of North Carolina and how race and class continue to affect North Carolina’s economy.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

New Faces Project, Working Films
Anna Lee, Project coordinator
602 South Fifth Ave
Wilmington, NC 28401
910-342-9000
Fax: 910-342-9003