About BYkids:
Founded with the mission of cultivating empathy, connection, and actionable change, BYkids pairs renowned filmmakers with talented young storytellers to humanize important topics through personal narratives. BYkids enables youth to create documentaries that shed light on pressing global issues and catalyze cross-cultural understanding and deep personal engagement that goes beyond the classroom.
What They Do:
BYkids produces four films per season for in-class and at-home learning, providing a broad platform for educational enrichment. The films premiere on PBS flagship station WNET and BYKids works with PBS LearningMedia and other partners to distribute supporting materials for teachers and learners.
Partnership with EMA Foundation:
In July 2023, EMA and BYkids launched a Community of Learners pilot program to explore the question: "How can BYkids films enrich education by centering the stories, needs, and agency of students?" Ten teachers and ten students spent the year engaging deeply with BYkids films, developing pathways to integrate them into their existing curricula. Teachers from the pilot are now leading workshops to welcome new members into the Community and introduce BYKids films into classrooms around the world. EMA will continue to host and facilitate the Community of Learners.
“It is wind at our back as we scale our impact to have the generosity and support of the EMA Foundation. Their transformational philanthropy means that we are spending this year working with a group of high school teachers and students to determine what assets and scaffolding we can add to our library to help make our BYkids films most useful to teachers and students. We are particularly excited about students working with teachers to co-create new material.”
- Holly Carter, Founder & Executive Director, BYkids
Their Impact:
BYkids’ educational action partners reach 50 million students through Discovery Education, social media, and their in-person/virtual events. Their free innovative educational materials reach 4.5 million teachers through Discovery Education, 1.8 million teachers through PBS LearningMedia and 150 countries through PenPal Schools.
Through these partnerships and initiatives like the BYkids Community of Learners, these documentaries are not only enriching classrooms but also inspiring meaningful dialogue and action on issues that matter.
Join the Movement:
Join EMA Foundation and BYkids in our mission to amplify youth voices, cultivate empathy, and drive positive change. Explore BYkids films, engage with the community, and discover how you can make a difference through storytelling and education.
