The winner for this category is:
Highly commended were:
Cinemagic
“Using film to empower young people”
The Cinemagic World Screen Festival for Young People in Belfast attracts over 20,000 young people every year. As the only film festival for young people in Northern Ireland and serves to provide an outlet for children from deprived areas and who have been brought up in areas of conflict.
It was established in 1989 and over the years it has developed a worldwide reputation for excellence in children’s programming. Joan Burney, chief executive, says: ‘Each year, we are overwhelmed by the amount of celebrities that give their name to the project and want to give something back to the industry. We are also humbled by the sheer numbers of young people the festival gives hope to.’ The 17-day festival includes international film screenings, big movie premieres, special guests, discussions, competitions and masterclasses in all aspects of filmmaking.
Cinemagic patron and actor, Julian Fellowes, says: ‘We are told on every side that it’s time to lower barriers and cross frontiers and this is exactly what Cimemagic is doing. Young men and women, boys and girls from every type of background and culture are being encouraged to explore the world of film for themselves, first hand. We want them to break through the glass ceilings and walls that surround them, and see for themselves what it’s really like. Courage and tolerance – aren’t they what we all need? Whether or not they continue to live or work in the arts, there can be surely no better preparation for seeking and finding the right life.’
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Claire Baxter |
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“Achieving a new clarity of purpose”
Through a major rebranding initiative, supported through a groundbreaking corporate partnership with Sky, Chicken Shed Theatre Company, a youth theatre and provider of education programmes and outreach work, managed to dramatically increase awareness of its mission and ultimately maximise its fundraising potential.
Chickenshed had a problem in that it was practically a household name but no one was aware of exactly what services it offered and who its beneficiaries were. It approached Sky to obtain some funding. Kate Varrah, director of business development, says: ‘We were in dire straights in explaining who we are and what we do. Our only exposure had given the wrong impression of our output to funders. We had to reappraise what we said about ourselves in order to make people reappraise what they thought about us. If properly executed, we knew our brand should be one of our principal assets, albeit an intangible one.’
The new brand identity means Chickenshed can now talk about itself in a clear, confident and consistent way, meaning more people can understand its mission. ‘With a project like this, however, it is impossible to attribute tangible results. In fact, we are still amazed that Sky gave us money for rebranding. It’s very brave of them when corporates are under pressure to show tangible outputs from their involvement in charities,’ concludes Varrah.
The judges commented: ‘From strategic planning to leadership they scored above average against every hallmark. They have a fantastic arrangement with Sky, have shown real innovation, good use of resources and it has all been well–executed.’
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Kate Varah |
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“Demonstrating a public commitment to heritage”
History Matters – Pass it On, is a coalition of heritage sector bodies that set out to bring the wealth of history that surrounds UK citizens at every turn to the front of their minds. ‘History is everywhere we look but people just walk by without giving it a second thought,’ says Ivo Dawnay, director of communications for the coalition.
Heritage bodies including English Heritage, the National Trust, the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Historic Houses Association, the Civic Trust, Heritage Link, the Council for British Archaeology and many others, demonstrated excellence and innovation in campaign communications, engaging the public in thinking and acting to demonstrate commitment to the UK’s historic environment. This included the unique and powerful One Day in History mass blog diary of the everyday citizen’s day. The event not only involved tens of thousands of people but left a permanent British Library archive of evidence about how we live today.
It was the first time the whole sector has worked together on one campaign. ‘While all were convinced of the public’s commitment, it had never been proven or measured. The campaign set about engaging people in a way that left, often very personal and emotional, evidence of their support for the nation’s historic places,’ says Dawnay.
Hundreds of events took place from family history road-shows which gave people a chance to learn about researching their ancestry to hands-on archaeology field day. To date more than 1.2 million people have shown their support by taking a badge or making an online declaration; over 850 local groups have taken part including local civic societies, heritage groups, schools and other voluntary groups; over 1 million people took part in the Heritage Open Days weekend when hundreds of heritage sites opened for free as part of the campaign on 9 September; and nearly 15,000 people have completed a postcard telling why history matters to them.
The campaign has been cited as an example of effective campaigning by ministers. ‘This suggests that one of our key aims, that of getting our message to government was achieved,’ says Dawnay.
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Ivo Dawnay |
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Theatre Workshop
“Involving the disadvantaged in theatre”
In 2006 the Theatre Workshop put on the highly innovative and successful Babylon Burning community play, comprised entirely of community participants with little or no experience in acting.
Participants were trained in theatre skills for a four month period and the charity’s open access policy encourages individuals from all backgrounds, particularly marginalised ones such as disabled people and ethnic minorities, to be involved either on or off stage. Many of the participants have learning difficulties, mental health issues and physical disabilities. However, the charity’s inclusive policy means that all those involved are included in the creative process as one. They have access to all aspects of theatre from acting to dance, music, and costume design, make-up for stage, productions and set design.
Kirsty Tough, communications and marketing assistant, says: ‘It is empowering for people with disabilities and for refugees it just amazing to be able to offer a way to get them involved in their new community, in their new world in fact. We are also extremely proud that we were the first theatre to have a disabled person play the lead in our house production in 2000.’
The play met with critical acclaim, and many participants have gone on to develop their skills ain further education. The mother of one participant says: ‘The patience people showed her when she having difficulty expressing herself, their understanding, inclusiveness and interests in her as a person, not a disabled person, was magnificent.’
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Kirsty Touth |
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