“A Small Good Thing” is exactly the type of film we need to be inspired to slow down and talk about what really matters. Our panel discussion was thought-provoking and continued the next day in the classroom. More so than ever, college institutions need to be teaching students how to connect to place, self, and community. “A Small Good Thing” gives us hope!  - Sophie Esser Calvi, FoodWorks Director at Middlebury College Continue reading

Living Intentionally & Nurturing Community: A Conversation with Dan Hines How can we build a more compassionate world? In our fast-paced society, how can we live intentionally with one another and nurture community? How can we channel our longing for societal change into the active pursuit of it? These are just a few questions that lead the life and work of Dan Hines, an Anglican priest, leadership consultant, and facilitator of personal and professional development programs for the Center of Courage & Renewal. Continue reading

Happy Social Work Month everyone! In honor of this special time, our team at A Small Good Thing has compiled an exciting list of films that shed light on social work, social workers, and the important themes and issues that social workers devote themselves to every day. Continue reading

Perhaps one of the most wonderful and humbling aspects of sharing A Small Good Thing with the world is the opportunity to connect with different people and to hear their individual thoughts and stories about searching for a meaningful life. I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Robby McGuire, a high school English teacher at Monticello High School in Minnesota, who plans to screen A Small Good Thing for his class this March. Robby is one of those extraordinary teachers whose passion for teaching and love for his students has led him to transform what was once considered a “blow off” Media Communications class into an inspired exploration of literature and media that asks: What does it mean to live a meaningful life? Continue reading

Gardens for Health International: Using Agriculture to Empower Communities Part 2 of a Two-Part Story Gardens for Health International is a non-profit organization that believes that growing and eating healthy food is an essential part of the long-term solution to malnutrition. Through agriculture lessons and health and nutrition education, GHI works to increase long-term food security and improve health in Rwanda. You can learn more about how these programs serve communities on the ground in the first part of this story. Continue reading

Gardens for Health International: Using Agriculture to End Malnutrition Part One of a Two-Part Story The idea that small, good practices can lead to broader change is an important theme of A Small Good Thing. The film looks at the sustainable farming practices of Jen and Pete Salinetti of Woven Roots Farm -- it examines their day-to-day life, their feelings of satisfaction with their work, and also the way that their personal life choices can make a lasting impact in the world.  Continue reading

Last week, we shared the first part of our interview with Jen Salinetti, a community vegetable grower and educator in the Berkshires who owns and operates the vegetable CSA Woven Roots Farm with her husband, Pete. Jen described her passion for farming and explained the journey of developing Woven Roots Farm. Make sure to check out the interview and Jen’s extremely inspiring Tedx Talk, here. Continue reading

"This seed contains all of the genetic information that it needs to grow to its fullest potential and to perpetuate into the future." - Jen Salinetti, Woven Roots Farm In her powerful talk at TEDx Berkshires, community vegetable grower and educator Jen Salinetti shares the story of the growth of one seed and connects its journey to our incredible human potential as individuals connected to a larger ecosystem and part of a larger world. Jen and and her husband Pete (both featured in A Small Good Thing) own and operate Woven Roots Farm, a vegetable CSA based in the Berkshires. In hopes of learning more about how Jen and Pete developed Woven Roots Farm, I recently spoke with Jen about her experience. In Part One of this two-part interview, Jen discusses the development of Woven Roots and the journey of finding satisfaction in her work and in her life. Continue reading

We are very excited to open up our blog to our first guest writer, Goldie Eder, a clinical social worker, psychotherapist, and the Film Festival Programmer for the National Association of Social Workers, Massachusetts Chapter. Continue reading

  March is National Social Work Month!  This year's theme is "Forging Solutions Out of Challenges." Our supporters are organizing screenings around the nation during the month of March to honor community organizers and social workers whose innovation, dedication, generosity, and compassion are changing lives and shaping communities across the world. Check our calendar to find an event near you or organize your own screening to celebrate social workers this March! Continue reading