SIMA Academy emerged in 2016 after a group of Los Angeles high school students engaged with the pre-selection process for the annual SIMA Awards. Their transformative insights illuminated the educational value of global social impact films. This experience shifted SIMA’s focus, from organizing community screenings to creating a dedicated platform for students and educators. After recognizing the power of these documentaries to inspire critical thinking and global awareness, we launched SIMA Academy to support meaningful 21st-century learning.
SIMA Academy brings its vision of impactful storytelling and global social change to life through a combination of key initiatives and technology. SIMA Academy eradicates the barrier to Wi-Fi access via in-app downloads where educators can curate playlists and play media offline in remote locations.
Each year, SIMA Studios hosts its annual SIMA Awards, a global competition that recognizes outstanding documentaries, impact campaigns, and XR projects. These awards celebrate work that upholds high standards of artistry, ethics, and authenticity, giving filmmakers a platform to showcase their work. The SIMA Awards culminate in a celebration of powerful films that have the potential to drive social change. Shortlisted short films and impact videos are invited to join SIMA Academy, providing an ever-current library of documentary films for educational settings.
SIMA Academy is the only global education media platform that curates award-winning, globally sourced, and vetted current affairs documentaries that advance the embedded themes of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Global Citizenship Education (GCED) and Human Rights Education (HRE). Through SIMA Academy, learners gain a deeper understanding of the world, explore diverse perspectives, and realize their capacity for personal agency. SIMA Academy's impact reports provide feedback from educators who witnessed transformational growth, inspired learning, and student-led impact projects that serve local communities.
SIMA Academy grows through strategic partnerships with organizations that train cohorts of educators and youth. Some of our current partners include UNESCO, Inspire Citizens, Mentee, Girl Up Uganda Initiative, Thaki, and Millenium Campus Network. Additional clients of SIMA Academy include educational institutions like Lynn University and Punahou School in Hawaii, which utilize impact media as an educational resource in their classrooms.
SIMA Academy can be customized to align with partners’ educational goals by:
-Curating content channels suited to specific curricula
-Providing supplemental media to innovative activations, such as the SDG Challenge, film festivals, fundraising screenings, and impact campaigns
-Providing specialized training on leveraging social impact films to promote media literacy, advocacy, youth leadership, and Global Citizenship Education (GCED)
Step 1: Register here: https://www.simaacademy.tv/checkout/subscribe/purchase
Step 2: Check your email to activate your account
Step 3: Start watching
