INTRODUCTION AT REIGNITE
This is the script from the introduction of MACY at Reignite in autumn 2023:
Hello everyone my name is Chris Walker and I wanted to take just four minutes of your time to share with you the very beginnings of a very long term plan that has emerged as part of this REIGNITE initiative, and invite you to please come and find me after the presentations if you have any thoughts or want be be part of the strategy - it will need to be a collaborative effort to make it work, and we believe that collaborations start with conversations.
Cherie makes the case very well for Media Arts’ role in York’s wider economy, and Kit underlines the importance of school leavers and graduates being suitably skilled to mesh in with the industries of the future in York - and, as Kit has pointed out in the past to me, Media Arts industries don’t negatively impact the attractiveness of York to visitors, in fact they help draw visitors in.
This part of the vision has a working title - the Media Arts Curriculum for York. It’s inspired by the success of area-based curriculums in places like Leeds, Hull and Peterborough, and the evidence for its effectiveness is exposed through research by the Royal Society of the Arts and Leeds Museums. The Royal Society for the Arts states the aim of such initiatives really clearly:
“The aim of an ‘area-based curriculum’ seems elegant in its simplicity: to enhance the educational experiences of young people by creating rich connections with the communities, cities and cultures that surround them and by distributing the education effort across the people, organisations and institutions of a local area.”
That last sentence is a key point: ‘Distributing the education effort’ means supporting and helping teachers who are already under strain, and have a huge responsibility to cover an unbelievably wide range of topics in school. It’s not fair to expect teachers to understand the nuances of Media Arts in the city, and if Media Arts is truly going to be part of our city’s industrial future, then industry needs to contribute to the definition of that future - that’s the duty that we personally feel, and why I’m stood here.
The vision for the Media Arts Curriculum is that:
Every child in York grows up understanding that media doesn’t make itself - people just like them make it.
The vision is that every child in York has an opportunity to move from being purely a consumer of media, to being a creator and help tell stories through media.
The vision is that every child in York understands that companies in York, for example:
help make TV programmes for Netflix
create some of the computer games they play
make immersive experiences in virtual reality that they have enjoyed.
The vision is that every child in York understands that York, their home city, is globally recognised for being good at Media Arts, and that there are career opportunities right here.
The vision is that every child in York understands that Media Arts jobs are high tech, well paid, fulfilling and experiencing high demand globally.
The vision is that every child in York gets the opportunity to follow such an educational or career pathway if that’s what they want to do.
So, how might this be achieved? Learning from successful approaches in other northern UK cities, we can foresee that this might entail:
Creating a comprehensive set of free-to-use teaching aids, resources and materials for all schools in York to substitute for the more general approach to TV, film, computer games and digital arts in the National Curriculum. Those materials would align with, and be made in collaboration with Media Arts companies within the York area.
Those aids, resources and materials would be designed to really engage pupils and be backed up by quality downloads and media that teachers and pupils can use in the classroom.
It would support schools and relieve them of some of the burden.
York area’s Media Arts companies would be asked to contribute to the creation of the materials, for example by agreeing to be interviewed on camera to help explain a media concept, or set a challenge for the pupils, for example
Materials and resources would be made to cover primary and secondary (key stages 1 to 4) and, under a complimentary programme, tertiary would work with companies to understand industry needs, creating one smooth pathway.
It’s a very long term plan, but it needs to start with conversations so, please, if you have something to say or contribute, or you are an active practitioner, please come and find me afterwards.
Many thanks
