Gaining Ground Viewers Guide
Voices from the Classroom

James Riker

James Riker is director of the University of Maryland’s interdisciplinary program called Beyond the Classroom, which prepares students for leadership positions in the nonprofit sector.  “The idea behind the class is that it teaches students how to envision themselves within the process of positive social change,” says Riker.

He uses the film Gaining Ground in a series called People Power: Activism for Social Change, which focuses on getting students to participate in some form of civic engagement, community service, or a special event like a lobby day on capital hill in nearby Washington, D.C.

Riker has used the film to explore the topic of how to transform poor communities by first bringing together the key stakeholders, such as community leaders, residents, and others most affected by the issues of homelessness and poverty.

Other resources Riker has used with the film include actual case studies from various communities around the country, and The Interrupters, an Academy Award-nominated PBS Frontline documentary about gang violence in Chicago.