Building a Movement Too Powerful to Ignore

Grow your digital storytelling skills — and share your film across CAAP schools and beyond.


  • Tell stories that matter to you, from your local community. 

  • Build future-ready skills in content creation, creativity and empathy. 

  • Share your story with a global audience of filmmakers.

What to expect

'Stories That Move' is a collaboration between DoorNumberOne.org and Make A Difference (MAD) Courses. Here's how it works:


Take the Docathon course: 

A self-paced, beginner-friendly learning experience that can be taken inside or outside the classroom.


  • Find a story worth telling in your community
  • Edit your video to 3-6 minutes. 
  • Get mentorship from professional filmmakers as you go
  • Submit your film before the deadline!

* Most students use mobile phones


Your Showcase Journey

1️⃣ Share — Online Global Showcase (April 2026)
Share across the CAAP school network, and then with the world! Screen your documentary online with other young filmmakers, and discuss the real-world issues behind the stories.


2️⃣ Celebrate — In Person event during Toronto Climate Week. (June 2026) 
A selection of the most compelling films will be screened during Climate Week (date and venue TBC), with an audience of students, educators, and community leaders.


3️⃣ Get Global Recognition (4 June 2026)
Lead a short reflection activity for peers, and earn the Impactful Storytelling Credential with RMIT University in Melbourne — a recognised achievement you can add to your portfolio.


The Docathon Course

The Docathon course outlined below can be easily rolled out with students - whether it is in your curriculum or alongside it. Suji DeHart, MAD's curriculum head, will work with you for the optimum roll-out experience.

    1. Welcome to Docathon!

    2. Everything You Need to Know

    3. Student Action Notebook

    4. Live Mentorship

    1. Introduction

    2. Why Tell a Purposeful Story?

    3. Many Ways to Serve a Purpose

    4. Looking at Purpose in a Docathon Film

    5. What Purpose?

    1. Introduction

    2. It's about CONNECTION

    3. Circle of Concern Activity

    4. And IMPACT too

    5. Did you Find a Story?

    1. A key to good filmmaking

    2. Notes on your Student Action Notebook

    3. Watch this Docathon film from Guatemala!

    4. Meet international mentor, Kevin

    5. What did our judges think?

    6. Creating a Compelling Narrative

    7. The Storytelling Framework

    8. Watch & Apply – Storytelling in Action

    9. Practice Time!

    1. A filmmaking secret

    2. 3 questions you need to ask yourself

    3. Asking Meaningful Questions

    4. Types of Meaningful Questions or Prompts

    5. Student Action Notebook activity

    1. Exploring Below the Surface

    2. Iceberg Model Explained

    3. Let's Practice Pt. 1: Watch Mark's story

    4. Let's Practice Pt. 2: Levels of the Iceberg Quiz

    5. Let's Practice Pt. 3: Check for Understanding

    6. Let's Practice Pt. 4: Drag & Drop Iceberg

    7. Apply the Iceberg Model to Your Story

    8. A final word about Digging Deeper

About the organizers


Visit the Docathon website if you would like to know more about other Docathons worldwide. Docathon is initiative of MAD Courses (learn more about MAD Courses below).  

      



DoorNumberOne.org is a nonprofit organization that partners with primary and secondary schools to catalyze bold climate and nature-action initiatives, helping them develop whole-school plans for a just and regenerated world.






MAD Courses empowers young people to become storytellers and changemakers through creative, purpose-driven filmmaking.





Time for Stories That Move

350 USD per filmmaking team — up to 5 students: this includes the online course, live mentorship sessions, and curriculum support. Discounts offered for larger participation. This Docathon is a collaboration between MAD Courses and DoorNumberOne.org exclusively for schools enrolled in the Climate Action Accelerator Program.

Register Your interest

FAQ

  • Who can join Docathon?

    Docathon is open to students in grades 6–12. No prior filmmaking experience is required—resources and mentorship are provided.

  • How long should the films be?

    All films should be between 3–6 minutes.

  • What language should we use?

    The main language for Docathon is English. However, local languages are welcome (even encouraged!) as long as English subtitles are included.

  • What equipment do I need?

    A mobile phone is enough to film your documentary. You can also use cameras, microphones, and editing software like CapCut, iMovie, or Adobe Premiere Pro if available.

  • Can I work alone?

    We recommend forming groups of up to five students, as filmmaking is often more fun and collaborative. But if you’d prefer to work solo, that is also possible.

  • How much does it cost to participate?

    Docathon costs 350 USD per film group, for up to 5 students working on the same film . This includes access to the training course, mentorship, and entry into our Global events.

  • How much time do I need?

    The Docathon course itself takes about 2 hours to complete. However, to put the principles into practice and create your film, you’ll need more time. We recommend working gradually over 3-5 weeks to get the best results.