Feed aggregator
PVM agrees that voluntary arts are important to local communities as was highlighted at the Epic Awards
The 2011 Epic Awards were presented at a prestigious reception at the Royal Over-Seas League in London on Monday 30th January. The Epic Awards are designed to highlight excellence and innovation in amateur arts groups across the UK and Republic of Ireland and are an initiative of Voluntary Arts. The awards were presented by Lord Luce, president of Voluntary Arts, who praised the winning groups for their inspirational projects and the benefit they bring to social wellbeing. People’s Voice Media sees voluntray arts as a great way for people to have a voice and express themselves as well as supporting local communites to highlight great communty activity which is why we sponser this event.
Government Ministers representing each of the countries sent special messages of congratulations to the winning groups. Collecting the award on behalf of the Peterborough Male Voice Choir, Musical Director Will Prideaux, shared the stories of two men who have benefitted from belonging to the group. He said:
“Voluntary arts organisations transform lives and build stronger communities. I love the stories of friendships created and enthusiasm rediscovered or of depression beaten, horizons broadened or prejudices cast aside; of hope, of trust, of a sense of belonging or simply giving people something to look forward to – the list is endless and endlessly amazing.”
As well as their awards, winners also received a stash of prizes including cash, vouchers for arts and craft supplies membership of Arts Development UK and vouchers to attend training courses.
Case studies featuring the winners, runners up and other entrants can be found here: www.epicawards.co.uk
Winners
Peterborough Male Voice Choir – www.peterboroughmvchoir.org.uk
Phizzfest – www.phizzfest.ie/phizzpress
Buddy Beat – www.buddybeat.co.uk
Third Floor Gallery – www.thirdfloorgallery.com
PVM in partnership with 3 Valley TV (3VTV) in South Wales
I attended the launch of 3VTV on the 31st January in Blaenau Gwent. The project is a local TV channel, broadcast over the Internet and on-demand, meaning there’s no schedule, but people watch what they want, when they want.
Gemma Collins talks more about the channel and the launch
They aim of the channel is to show films which the people of Blaenau Gwent will want to watch about their local community. The name 3VTV stands for Three Valleys, because the channel is for everyone in the three valleys which make up Blaenau Gwent.
3VTV is is part of the Micro-Broadcasting Centre, wich is part of the University of Wales, Newport, and is part-funded by the Welsh Government. People’s Voice Media will be working in partnership with the project to develop community Reporters. Gemma talks about how she see People’s Voice Media and 3VTV working together.
Chorlton Good Neighbours Gardening project - the beginning
Chorlton Good Neighbours Gardening project - the beginning
education generation - both sides of the road
education generation - both sides of the road
Social Licensee holder in York shares training resource…and the shared network is born!
Like many of the best ‘decisions’ that we make at PVM, when we decided to offer our Community Reporter programme under social licence we started in one place and then got to enjoy the wonderful creative process that happens as the idea evolves and grows. This is one of the best parts of the job and one of the best things about working for an autonomous social enterprise: there’s always space to let the ideas think themselves, to throw up links and connections that alter the path slightly. And then, ultimately, you reach that point where the original idea is still there…but better, more robust, more interesting.
And so it was with the social licence. We knew that we had a programme that worked. We knew we wanted other people to deliver the programme, to increase the reach of the Community Reporter network and offer a more fruitful experience to all of our reporters. We knew that we could support other organisations to find income generating opportunities on the back of the programme. But one of the ideas that ‘thought itself’ was the evolution of a ‘wikinomics’ model of trade and exchange between partners.
We have the pleasure of working with some wonderful partners, really passionate and creative and committed individuals and organisations who are doing great work on the ground. So, using the social licensee network as a way of bridging and linking partners together is really exciting for us. Most of us are under resourced and over stretched so being able to access tools that mean you don’t have to constantly reinvent the wheel each time is a real asset for anyone. So we are thrilled that MRS in York have begun the knowledge exchange by sharing some simple page design tools that were developed for a European Leonardo programme. The PageDesigner programme is free, available in a range of different languages and aimed to be simple enough for the absolute beginner – a perfect complement to the resources currently available within the Community Reporter programme.
As the network of licensee holders grows we look forward to being able to help organisations share and trade across the partnership – an idea that we hope to explore further in our first trans-national Editorial Board meeting which will take place in April …but more about that another time!
SHARE, SHOW OTHERS YOU CARE
this is an exclusive to PVM
What we are looking for is whilst you are having a Spring clean out of your homes / wardrobes all donations would be much appreciated "MEDDERS" is on a mission to help some friends on a project he is working on to help people who have lost their personal possesions clothes etc this unit is for men and woman of all ages and if you have any unwanted books or board games that could be available for residents to use untill they move onto other accomodation they would be welcome....now then I am also after any donations of plants for the main reception area as this is really bare and could do with cheering up so come on folks lets help spread a little happyness for 2012 share and show others you care!!!
Your new recrute...Medders......community reporter
contact me via northerngills@yahoo.co.uk
or by PVM
or my mobile is 07769634034 any unwanted tins of food etc is also welcome
Images
Roving Reporter
Don't miss Our new exciting feature. Our new recrute.... Medders ......He will be will be out and about in the community reporting on various topics we do hope that you will welcome him and guide him on his journery as a community reporter with a twist. Medder's sure is eager to share some of his experiences with you all and hopefully achieve his dream of bringing news to the local community as it happen's.
ImagesHave you seen the light ? ? ? . . . Digital photography and light . . . .
Picture 1 Director Ken Russell a light meter arround his neck and a period Leningrad II light meter Picture 2 Frank Redfern setting the white balance Picture 3 Close up of the authors Lennigrad II, after Russia won the Cold War space race every day items were made with a flourish of national pride . . . .
“Your cameraman comes first
- he is ‘king of the floor’.
If the director is God,
then he is the sun”
Ken Russell 1927 - 2011
“The digital camera
has the ability to absorb
and process light
approximate to that of
the human eye.”
Alison Surtees
Creative Industries Salford
Makers of film and theatre with the community
http://www.unleashingcreativity.org/cris/CreativeDirectory.php?iid=2
I cannot remember when the digital camera became part of everyday life. This generation has never been without the capacity to take immediate images, still and moving. opportunistic and crafted, of life as it happens and in the creation of stories. Recorded, collected and distributed Globally instantly. The mystery surrounding pictures is cleared, photography, sometimes great, may happen with a simple ‘click’.
Stories through images have always been told since the early dawn of what human kind sees and feels around them, light has been guiding. From the first aboriginal breath taken to paint hands on cave walls, painters through histories and civilisations have scripted in a language comprehensible to all. In recent times the camera has recorded mankind’s movements and stories. One aspect has remained consistent light, created or natural.
Until the recent age of the digital camera, film makers and photographers have used light meters to record light, reflective levels and ambient to manually adjust lens and camera settings, fine tuning what the camera records to reflect their artistic feelings. The digital camera has taken the personal and artistic interpretation away from the majority of photographers. I wonder how many digital cameras there are out there, with the same automatic features operating the same way, for the majority of digital camera users the quick 'click' will suffice. It is of no wonder that there are so many post production methods and software to change the look of an image. I would argue that great pictures can be made by preparation and design, by understanding the basics of how light can be used by the machine in their hand . . . .
The Magdalene Centre - A Community Hub re-named
On Saturday 7th January 2012, Community Reporter attended an Open Day at the Mary Magdalene Church Hall, Winton.
Now re-named The Magdalene Centre, the re-opening was a chance to celebrate, not only with dignitaries, such as Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester – Mr Warren Smith JP; the Lord Bishop of Manchester – Rt. Rev’d Nigel McCulloch; The Mayor & Mayoress of the City of Salford – Councillor Eric and Mrs Burgoyne; Deputy Leader of the Council – Mr David Lancaster and MP for Worsley & Eccles South – Ms Barbara Keeley, but the whole community of Winton by holding a Family Fun Day with hot food & drinks, children’s entertainment and Karate display, amongst others.
The vision was to turn the now Magdalene Centre into a “Community Hub” where the people of Winton can come and celebrate together and use the facilities for different aspects of the community needs.
Father Ian Hall, Priest-in-Charge since 2009, said that “this has gone way beyond our expectation. We knew that there was a need for such a facility but that it was renovated so well by a group of lads who took such pride in their work, is reflected in the comments by people saying how wonderful it all looks.”
When asked about the turnout, he went on to say that “we never expected the people to turn out in this number and the fact that they have proves, there is a need and people want a building like this in their area, a fantastic start.”
The future looks bright for the Magdalene Centre as the work does not stop here! The plan is to hopefully access funds to refurbish the kitchen and toilet areas and new windows to be installed.
A café on a mezzanine floor, redevelopment of a back room to provide a meeting room / office space and possibly the introduction of ICT facilities to provide the local community the chance to enhance their skills, are all future ideas to make The Magdalene Centre the complete Community Hub. We wish them well.
The Iron Lady
The Iron Lady
Directed by Phyllidia Lloyd
UK, 2011
Cornerhouse, 7 January 2012
Although Meryl Streep’s central performance is certainly remarkable, taken as a whole this film seems superficial and false.
There’s a whistle-stop tour through Thatcher’s time in office but certain key events – the miners’ strike, the Toxteth riots, the Bruges speech – are absent. The scene where Maggie is undergoing voice-training is rather too close to a scene in The King’s Speech. Let’s be charitable and call this homage. When Mrs. Thatcher first enters the Commons, we see her bare feet in high-heeled shoes, a sharp contrast to the men’s highly polished black brogues. A nice touch, but one thinks it likely that, even as a young woman, she always would have worn tights.
It is clear that there’s an intended irony arising from Lady Thatcher’s fragility in old age and the given epithet of The Iron Lady, but are there really grounds for believing that she speaks to her dead husband? And what is the point of making a film about an actual person, if you are only going to invent details about their life? Either stick to the facts or have a fictional character and invent any damn thing you want. Biopics like this are infuriating because they’re neither one thing nor another.
A disappointing film, then, but it was interesting to see Mrs. Thatcher in the Commons and to realise that this has never been part of our collective memory. None of the public saw her when she spoke there.
Latest licensee holder “can’t wait to get started!”
We are extremely pleased to confirm that Leeds MIND are the next organisation to take a Social Licence to deliver the Community Reporter programme. The licence will contribute to the development of the Leeds Well-being Web, a network of stories from mental health service users designed to challenge stigma and promote positive stories.
We ran the three day Train the Trainer course in the run up to Christmas and had attendance from a diverse and interesting group of people representing a range of mental health organisations across Leeds. Feedback was extremely positive and the general feeling from participants was that they couldn’t wait to get started in the New Year. John Baron, who will be co-ordinating the Well-being Web, said, “We had a terrific three days Community Reporter training with People’s Voice. Looking forward to getting hold of the course early in the New Year and starting the training!”
iMedia Student goes on to make own film
cityinterhacktives feature Community Reporting
I was interviewed before Christmas by Antonia Kanczula, a student on City University London’s MA Interactive Journalism course. Have a look at the blog post and podcast here. She’s picked out some of the key points about Community Reporting – why we do it, what drives us, how it differs from Citizen Journalism and our hopes for the future.
The site is really interesting with lots of comment and analysis on all things social media so it’s worth having a look at their work.
I’d like to thank Antonia for her interest and wish her luck with her future studies.
Is the iPad the revolutionary technology for older people?
Are tablets like the iPad the revolutionay technology for older people? The article quoted from below argues that they are.
Gerontabletification
Demography is, indeed, destiny. The world — particularly the wealthy OECD countries — is growing older. This creates enormous fiscal strains for social welfare states but fantastic market opportunities for device-driven innovators. Mobile phones are too small; their screens too tiny and keyboards too minute. But tablets have emerged as ideal media platforms for those requiring larger fonts and bigger keys. The iPad — originally marketed as the hip & cool media consumption device — has ceased to be a symbol of youth and vitality. It's now how silver haired executives — and 75 year old grandmas — read the news, manage their email and play games with the kids. When this reality is linked to emerging medical research indicating that mental exercise can delay the onset and impact of cognitive diminution, it's clear that there are more reasons for the aged population to have tablets than not. Any company with older customers that doesn't customize apps and offerings for their 60+ users are guilty of brand-destructive age discrimination.
from: http://goo.gl/n1v5p
Bernard