Canon boosts creative learning with the Ideas Foundation

...On World Youth Skills Day, the Ideas Foundation has combined with Canon's Young People Programme and the National Association for Teaching English to promote photography and digital storytelling. Together we have produced an online toolkit that gives young people the skills to create visual stories that can change the world.

This new initiative is the result of transforming a successful programme developed in West Cumbria schools into an online resource kit that can reach thousands of students across the UK. Leading teachers from Yorkshire, Cumbria, London and Manchester have helped to create the resources and ensure that they address the extraordinary challenges to teaching and learning caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The online toolkit has been co-developed with 20 teachers from schools and colleges drawn from Yorkshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, and London. The resources have been designed with teachers to support teaching for students aged 11 – 19 in English, Art and Design, Media Studies, Citizenship, and Geography.

The toolkit takes into the virtual world the successful 2019 'Live the Story' project. The 'Live the Story' project ran in five West Cumbria schools and inspired 400 students to tell the story of plastic pollution using images and words. Canon provided professional expert tuition from Canon Ambassador, Clive Booth, as well as cameras and printers to support the programme. Before the school workshops, teachers received training on how digital storytelling can enhance digital skills, deep learning, and student engagement.

Heather MacRae, Chief Executive at Ideas Foundation, says:

"The fundamental goal of the programme was to help students in deprived areas to explore their creative skills through digital storytelling. Students discovered how words and images could help achieve change. With professional equipment and advice from Canon Ambassador Clive Booth, students produced world-class creative content."

The success of the Cumbria project has caught the eye of the astronaut, explorer, aquanaut and gaming entrepreneur Richard Garriott. Ahead of his upcoming expedition to the bottom of the sea, Richard talked to the West Cumbria students about plastic pollution at the bottom of the ocean. He will be taking their images on his mission to help voice their concerns.

The newly developed online versions of the successful Cumbria programme will provide a welcome boost to creativity in and out of quarantine. Teachers can access five different online lessons led by Canon Ambassador Clive Booth and YPP Programme Manager Adam Pensotti and Peter Thomas, Chair of NATE and inspiration from astronaut Richard Garriott.

Heather MacRae, Chief Executive at Ideas Foundation, says: "The fundamental goal of the programme was to help students in deprived areas to explore their creative skills through digital storytelling. Students discovered how words and images could help achieve change. With professional equipment and advice from Canon Ambassador Clive Booth, students produced world-class creative content."