Opportunity to run a pilot education project.
Purpose of Projects
Britain already has some of the best film education initiatives in the world. However, for most young people, if they experience film education at all, it is as isolated episodes that lack coherence and consistency.
Furthermore, there is a lack of understanding of the value of film education, and little knowledge about what works best.
BFI, Film Club, Film Education, First Light Movies, Skillset and UK Film Council have therefore published Film: 21st Century Literacy a strategy to ensure that all young people in the UK have the opportunity to learn about film in all its richness and creative possibilities.
The strategy has a number of goals:
· To increase the opportunities for young people to watch a wide variety of films in different settings and on different platforms;
· To increase the range of films studied, and for learners to show a deepened understanding;
· To enable high quality CPD and training to be available to all film education practitioners;
· To increase opportunities for young people to make and share their own films;
· To demonstrate the value and benefits of film education, and ensure it has a strong and cohesive identity.
As part of the strategy, we are funding 12 pilot projects over three years which will develop innovative activities for learning about film, fill gaps in provision, provide evidence of the impact of film, and initiate activities in previously unexplored areas. Four nations and regions have already been successful in Round One (Wales, the East Midlands, the North East and Yorkshire) and are now beginning to carry out their projects.
For this round we expect to grant four awards of up to £30k each to four different nations and regions. (Priority will therefore be given to projects in regions which did not benefit from Round One awards).
The purpose of the 12 pilot projects is to demonstrate that film education is valuable, has a positive impact, and can be used in a variety of different ways and settings across the UK. Collectively, the pilots will gather a body of evidence in support of this aim.
Through the 12 pilots, the evidence will show a range of stakeholders (teachers, parents, film industry, potential sponsors, policymakers and opinion formers) that film education is valuable. Practitioners will be able to point to a body of best practice and data across the nations and regions.
Your project must therefore be capable of demonstrating the impact of film education on young people under 19, and be capable of serving as a blueprint of best practice which could be rolled out in other parts of the UK.
Assessment Criteria
Before sending in an expression of interest, please read the Film:21st Century Literacy strategy to down load click here
Then please follow the three steps below to determine whether your project is likely to qualify for pilot funding.
Step One: Project Areas
Only projects that are underpinned by the following ‘three C’s’ (based on the Charter for Media Literacy) will be considered. All projects that do not clearly fall within TWO or more of the ‘three Cs’ will be rejected.
1. Cultural Access
The opportunity to choose from a broad range of films and so get a better understanding of our and other people’s culture, way of life and history.
2. Critical Understanding
The confidence to look behind the surface of the screen, to understand a film’s intentions, techniques and qualities.
3. Creative Activity
The opportunity to make film and moving image, to have some understanding of the technical and creative process that allows the effective expression of a story, a mood or an idea.
Step Two: Criteria
If your project is underpinned by two or more of the three C’s, the Film:21st Century Literacy grant will fund projects that follow two or more of these activities:
1. Projects that support informal education (and particularly which link to LEAs, Children’s Services etc).
2. Projects that include proposals for Continued Professional Development for practitioners.
3. Projects that focus on developing innovative partnerships, particularly with cinemas or places where film is screened.
4. Projects that enable a holistic approach to film education (i.e. which bring together all three of the ‘three C’s).
The grant will only fund projects that fulfil the following essential criteria:
· Your project must have leveraged funding from other sources. (We will issue guidelines to all shortlisted applicants providing levels of in-kind funding etc).
· Your project must be activity that would not have taken place without this grant (it cannot be activity already funded within your existing financial plans or through the National Curriculum).
· Your project must be in line with the Film:21st Century Literacy Strategy – please remember that your project must comprise activity that can be piloted in line with the aims of the Strategy.
· Your project must be capable of acting as a blueprint to other parts of the UK.
· Your project must be capable of gathering evidence to support the aims of the strategy. All projects will be evaluated using the same methodological framework. (We will include more details of the evaluation framework in guidelines to the shortlisted applicants).
Your project must be directed at children and young people between the ages of 3 and 19.
Step Three: Priorities
If your project falls under the Project Areas and falls within the criteria above, it will be eligible for consideration.
Please note, that projects which achieve the following additional criteria will be given priority:
· Projects which lever funding from new partners (i.e. not the UKFC ‘family’ of Mediabox, First Light, Skillset etc).
· Projects which develop new activity and innovative partnerships.
· Projects which have a greater impact either (i) across the region; (ii) across more than one region; and/or (iii) by engaging with large numbers of practitioners; (iv) by engaging with significant numbers of young people.
· Projects where a significant element prioritises rural areas.
· Projects which demonstrate their commitment to equality and diversity.
· Projects which can be sustained beyond the life of the grant.
· Projects which demonstrate their alignment to their organisation’s education plans, and the education plans of their RSA (where applicable).
· Projects which demonstrate their alignment to other strategies and initiatives (e.g. Aiming High; Find Your Talent etc).
You do not have to fill out an application form in order to register an expression of interest with us. Instead, we will accept a brief outline of your project (a maximum of 4 sides of A4, in 12 point font, longer submissions will not be assessed) clearly outlining how the project is in line with the three steps, criteria and priorities outlined above.
At this stage we want to know:
1. The quality of your idea – how exciting, inspiring and new is your project? How does it clearly relate to the Film: 21st Century Literacy Strategy?
2. The potential impact – what will it achieve? How beneficial could your project be? Could it become region-wide or be rolled out in other regions? How will it demonstrate the value of what we are trying to achieve through this strategy?
3. The budget/resources – how much might it cost and what other funding/in-kind partners have been identified? Does it seem viable? (We would appreciate it if you could include any details of partner funding at this stage. We will require more detailed funding plans at full application stage).
Please send all expressions of interest, or any queries about the process by no later than 5pm Friday 27th February 2009, to the Strategy Co-ordinator Tom Thornton at tom@21stcenturyliteracy.org.uk
We will make a decision on 16th March and will be in contact with shortlisted applicants before Wednesday 18th March 2009.
We will then expect to receive full submissions from shortlisted applicants within four weeks (15th April) so we can make final decisions during w/c 20th April.