Bath Youngsters Become Film Makers to Inspire Community Change
Winners receive £1,000 and help with film production in a BT competition linked to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Community minded young people in Bath have won a major competition sponsored by BT to make films highlighting issues of concern where they live.
Three Ways School, Odd Down, has won £1,000 and professional film production support. They also qualify for up to £5,000 and help from Unltd.,a charity which supports social entrepreneurs, to turn their ideas into a community project.
Their submission is a fly-on-the-wall documentary which tackles the emotive issue of bullying and people with physical and learning difficulties, ending with advice on how to deal with bullying.
The ‘Big Voice’ competition, which is one of three education programmes run by BT linked to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, posed two thought provoking questions for entrants. They were: If you could change one thing in your neighbourhood, what would it be? And what could you do to change it?
The winners will receive support to bring their ideas to life in front of the camera from a team of film students from one of four film schools: the National Film and Television School, University of Brighton, Canterbury Christchurch University and the University for the Creative Arts.
The films will be screened on giant London 2012 Live Site screens all over the UK during Spring 2012. The Bath documentary be shown on the screen at Millennium Square, Bristol. The top films from across the UK will be chosen to go through to the final stage of the competition - an Oscars-style ceremony to announce the UK winners just before the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games begin.
Rachel Bunce, creativity assistant at Three Ways School, said:
"This was a wonderful learning experience for the children who were involved, enabling them to think more deeply about the subject matter and also the whole concept of film making. The project enabled them to express their own views about issues that matter to them, in an exciting and engaging way. The young people feel a real sense of ownership and are thrilled to have won."
Jon Reynolds, BT’s South West regional director, said:
“We’ve been really impressed by the work of all the contestants, but particularly the entries we’ve selected to turn into films.
“It’s inspiring to see young people tackle the issues that matter to them and express themselves so passionately and creatively.“The power of communication to address vital issues and make a difference in our communities is key to social cohesion and I wish all the contestants lots of luck in the future.”
For more information please visit: www.bt.com/bigvoice
