Blog – Latest stories tagged 'competition'

Young people shine online as Childnet announce the winners of the Childnet Film Competition 2016

Winning films to be used as internet safety resources for schools.

E-safety charity, Childnet, announced the winners of their seventh annual film competition at a private screening held for the shortlisted schools and industry guests at the BFI Southbank.

Judged by a panel of experts from the BBC, BBFC and the BFI, the two winning schools and the four other finalists will now see their films used as internet safety resources to educate other young people about how to use the internet positively and safely.

Internet Safety and Security Minster Baroness Joanna Shields said:

“The Childnet Film Competition celebrates the positive power of the internet by encouraging young people to take an active role in inspiring each other to leverage the internet for good.

Initiatives like the Childnet Film Competition are incredibly effective at championing internet safety in schools and amongst peers. By encouraging young people to work together, the competition helps empower them to use online mediums to shape a better future for themselves. Congratulations to all of the participants. You are all winners!”

Childnet Education Projects Officer, Becky Nancarrow, said:

“This year’s film competition theme, ‘shine online’, was all about inspiring young people to use the internet for good. Today we not only saw the time and dedication that has gone into creating these films but the passion young people have for creating a better internet for everyone. It’s great then that the young people’s films will continue to have an even wider impact, as they become resources for schools and youth groups to use to educate young people about using the internet positively”.

Founded in 2010 as a way of asking young people to focus on positive use of the internet, the Childnet Film Competition invites schools and youth organisations from across the UK to capture their internet safety messages in a short film. This year, the film competition invited young people to think about how we can all make a positive difference online by supporting young people to ‘shine online’.

With over 120 entries across the two categories, primary and secondary, 5 schools and 1 youth group attended the finalist’s event at the BFI in London before seeing their films on the big screen.

The films were judged by Alice Webb, Director of BBC Children's at the BBC, Joanna van der Meer, Film Tutor and Family Learning Programmer at the BFI Southbank, Keith Chirozva, Childnet Film Competition secondary category winner 2015 and David Austin OBE, Chief Executive at the BBFC, who said:

“Film is an inspiring medium for all ages and for children in particular it brings to life important messages and in making their own films, it allows them to express themselves in a less conventional way than say writing an essay in the classroom. Engaging children in this way creates a memorable experience and helps them take on board ideas and information. On behalf of all the judges I would like to congratulate the Childnet Film Competition winners and the finalist’s on creating fantastic educational resources that will be used in classrooms across the country.”

Taking home the top prize of film equipment for their school was Arundale Primary School winning the primary school entry with “Times have changed” and Wren Academy taking home the top prize for their entry “Hash and Tag” in the secondary category.

Hollie a young person from Arundale Primary School said "It was amazing! A once in a lifetime opportunity. If you get the chance don't turn it down. Thank you Childnet for organising this life changing event."

Jude from Wren Academy said "There's nothing like seeing your film on a screen. Everyone should get involved it's an amazing experience."

The winning films from the Childnet Film Competition can be viewed here.

The Anti-Bullying Alliance launch national search for star teachers that go the distance when it comes to tackling bullying

The Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA), part of leading children’s charity the National Children’s Bureau, have launched their prestigious ‘Power for Good’ award for teachers and school staff as part of this year’s celebrated Anti-Bullying Week. The England-wide search will see children and young people nominate teachers and school staff who go above and beyond the call of duty to support students around issues such as bullying, relationships, family life and mental health.

A wealth of research shows that bullying impacts on children’s ability to learn. ABA want to celebrate teachers that make a very real and lasting difference in children’s lives by taking action against bullying and going the extra mile to make sure every child feels safe, secure and supported.

The award is just one part of an exciting line up for Anti-Bullying Week 2016, which this year runs from the 14th-18th November with the theme Power for Good. As well as the award for teachers, the Anti-Bullying Alliance is calling on students and school staff across England to showcase their creativity and harness their ‘inner Director’ by entering a film -highlighting how important it is to use our Power for Good to stop bullying and create a world we’d all like to live in- with the chance to become the official film of Anti-Bullying Week 2016.

The aims for Anti-Bullying Week 2016, which this year is sponsored by SafeToNet and the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation and delivered in partnership with Internet Matters, are to:

support children and young people to use their Power for Good – by understanding the ways in which they are powerful and encouraging individual and collective action to stop bullying and create the best world possible.

help parents and carers to use their Power for Good – through supporting children with issues relating to bullying and working together with schools to stop bullying.

encourage all teachers, school support staff and youth workers to use their Power for Good – by valuing the difference they can make in a child’s life, and taking individual and collective action to prevent bullying and create safe environments where children can thrive.

Lauren Seager-Smith, National Co-ordinator of the Anti-Bullying Alliance said: ‘Bullying is an abuse of power – whether face to face or online, and this year we want to support the whole community: children, teachers, parents and carers to work together to use their Power for Good to stop bullying wherever and whenever it happens and create safe environments where children can thrive.’

Ben Cohen, founder of the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation said: ‘We are absolutely delighted to be supporting the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA) for Anti-Bullying Week 2016. At the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation we echo the ethos of ABA by standing up against bullying regardless of to whom it happens. We know that people who are bullied feel disconnected, leading to a sense of isolation and loneliness, a wariness of others and a lack of quality friendships. The Power for Good campaign aims to bring the whole community together to combat these issues, empowering everyone to take a stand against bullying whether it’s taking place in school, the community or online.’

Carolyn Bunting, General Manager of Internet Matters said: ‘It's essential to recognise that bullying online can be just as hurtful and traumatic to a child as bullying offline. Whether online or in the school playground, bullying can have detrimental effects on a child’s ability to learn and communicate. What one child might consider harmless fun, might be another’s trauma and it can often be difficult for a child to talk about.’

‘Internet Matters is pleased to be supporting the Anti-Bullying Alliance this year to help children recognise when they are victims of online bullying and what to do about it, as well as spreading the message that cyberbullying should not be tolerated. We believe the internet is a force for good so it's vital children are able to feel safe while they are using it. That is why we are backing The Power for Good campaign to recognise teachers and students who have taken a stand against bullying.’

Georgie Pursey, Co Founder of SafeToNet said: ‘We are delighted to be supporting Anti-Bullying Week 2016 and excited to work alongside the Anti-Bullying Alliance to raise awareness for this incredible cause, not just in November but for every week of the year. Bullying, whether it be in the playground, office or online is unacceptable and a change needs to happen. SafeToNet intends to use its Power For Good to proactively prevent bullying, and encourage reflection and compassion when interacting online.’

About the Power for Good Award

All nominated teachers and school staff will receive a Power for Good certificate. A panel of children and young people from YoungNCB will choose one nomination from Primary and one nomination from Secondary to win our 'Champion of the Year' award. All you have to do is download the word document form here, fill it in, ask your Headteacher/or Assistant Headteacher to sign the form and send back. You can post the application form to ABA, NCB, 8 Wakley Street, London EC1V 7QE or email aba@ncb.org.uk . The winners will be announced in Anti-Bullying Week 2016 and the deadline is 5pm on Friday 30th September 2016.

About the film competition

We know what incredible film makers our students and teachers are, and the ABA need your help to make the official film for Anti-Bullying Week 2016. Last year's film had over 65,000 views on YouTube. Please note this competition is only open to schools in England.

To enter the competition pupils are invited to send a film where they share how important it is to use our Power for Good to stop bullying and create the best world possible. This could be in the form of a story, animation, song, poem, rap, musical piece - the more creative, the better. The video clip should be no more than 2 minutes long – and doesn’t have to be filmed professionally – it can even be filmed on a phone. It's important to remember that both primary and secondary schools may view the videos so please make sure the content is suitable for all ages.

All entrants should include the official Anti-Bullying Week logo as part of the film, and if you want to reference hashtags please use #antibullyingweek and/or #powerforgood.

The competition closes at 5pm on Sunday 31st July. Find out more

Childnet launch the 7th Childnet Film Competition

E-safety charity, Childnet, have launched the 7th Childnet Film Competition to encourage young people aged 7-18 to create a short film to educate their peers about staying safe online.

With the aim of celebrating the positive things that young people are doing online, the competition showcases young people’s creativity and their understanding of online safety issues.

As Becky Nancarrow, Education Projects Officer at Childnet said, "we know that young people are powerful agents in creating a better internet and inspiring other young people to use the internet for good. The Childnet Film Competition is a great way for schools to inspire young people to take the lead in educating their peers about staying safe online whilst equipping them with the skills they need to become confident digital creators.”

This year’s theme is all about how we can all make a positive difference online by supporting young people to ‘shine online’.

Primary aged young people (7 – 11) are invited to create a 60 second film in response to the theme: 'Shine Online' - Tell us how you're using the internet positively

Secondary aged young people (11 – 18) are invited to create a 2 minute film in response to the theme: ‘Shine Online’ – How can you make a positive difference online?

For both age groups Childnet are looking for creative, imaginative films which reflect a positive and inspiring message. Young people might express their ideas through comedy, animation or music. Or how about creating an advert, campaign or documentary? The top three films in each category will be invited to a private screening at the BFI in London and the winners will be awarded film kits for their school.

To inspire young people to help others stay safe online, schools are being encouraged to share their film competition stories on social media using the hashtag #shineonline. Whether this is a message about what you’re up to, a picture from the creative process or even and a tip from the young film makers, schools can share their updates with @Childnet.

Important dates:
1. Competition closes Monday 13th June 2016
2. Finalists notified Monday 20th June 2016
3. Screening and finalist’s event at the BFI Monday 18th July 2016

To enter the Childnet Film Competition please send an email to film@childnet.com to request an information pack.

If you would like any more information, or find out more and download the schools packs visit Childnet.com

If you would like to register a group of talented young people you know, then please send an email to film@childnet.com. Don't forget, the closing date for entries is Monday 13th June 2016 at 5pm.