Project Overview

Tenth-grade students at Casco Bay High School in Portland, Maine interviewed international refugees from human rights abuses and considered their courage and stories in writing and photography. The guiding question was “How should society identify and treat the “other”?” The expedition was launched with a case study of the atrocities of Rwanda and followed with an exploration of world wars, the formation of the United Nations, and the concept of human rights versus civil rights. Since Portland is a refugee resettlement city, students were able to work with people from a variety of nations. Some of the students in the class, who are from African nations, acted as both interviewers and subjects of the documentaries they created.

Each student wrote a full Oral History of their subject and each team produced a portfolio of images. A series of beautiful, moving displays of image and text were featured in a local gallery in downtown Portland where students and gallery staff hosted an evening gallery opening. A professional invitation postcard was created and the community was invited to view the work and hear a selection of student readings.