Everyday Heroes takes a behind-the-headlines look at a diverse group of young adults who give a year of their lives through a San Francisco area AmeriCorps program to tutor and mentor needy kids. Despite their good intentions, they are confronted by a host of obstacles, including a racial divide that threatens to thwart their efforts. While documenting a year both turbulent and exhilarating, the film reveals the hopes and dreams, successes and setbacks of a group of individuals–potentially tomorrow’s leaders–searching for their place in the world and trying, against odds, to make a difference.
Everyday Heroes explores the rewards and the potential difficulties, on both a personal and program level, of national and community service and of service-learning. It provides a stimulating launching-point for discussion about civic engagement and youth leadership development. Issues of race and diversity permeate every scene, with the impassioned voices of the service providers “talking across differences.”