Paperclips

This documentary goes to show the power that younger generations hold. What began as a class project to learn about the holocaust in rural Tennessee culminated in a project spanning years instead of months but with an outcome of human change well worth it. Teachers in this small school thought that teaching about the Holocaust would give their students a better understanding on prejudice rendering them less likely to judge each other. When students discovered that paperclips were worn as a sign of support for the imprisoned Jews in Poland by those who faced imprisonment themselves if they spoke out a new idea arose. They decided to collect 6 million paperclips to represent the 6 million jews killed during the Holocaust. The results far exceeded expectation with in excess of 24 million being sent with letters from all across the world. The letters they received with many seeing their contributed paperclip as a tribute to those they lost in that time are touching. The element which holds this documentary back from becoming truly great is that that it was made at the end of the project when all the paperclips had been collected so most of it was in retrospect. But seeing students talk about what they learnt and how it has changed them as people makes this film worth while.