Great news for Isle of Wight pupils from the office of PCC Simon Hayes, Ed
Last night (Thursday) teams from six colleges around Hampshire and the Isle of Wight attended a red carpet ceremony to find out who won a coveted ‘Prevent’ Film Award.
First placed team from Christ the King College on the Isle of Wight took home gold Oscar-style statuettes and a cheque for £500.
Young people aged 16-25 are most at risk from radicalisation. Terrorist groups like Daesh (ISIL) and Al Qaida as well as Extreme Right Wing groups use films on websites and social media to spread their message of hate, targeting young people. Education is the key to tackling terrorism and extremism – education for all our communities but particularly our young people.
This competition is the first of its kind in the UK. Colleges across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight were invited to submit short films up to three minutes long, which aim to counter an extremist narrative. The winning films took £500, £300 and £200 respectively for their colleges, funded by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.
Simon Hayes, Police and Crime Commissioner, said:
“The students have produced thought-provoking films to counter the radicalising messages that emanate from terrorist groups. The standard was very high and I was proud to present the awards to the winning teams. Working with these students we can protect the people and places we value from extremism.”
T/Insp David Knowles, Hampshire Constabulary’s Prevent lead commented:
“Who better to develop films that would counter these extreme messages than college students? Not only are they likely to understand what appeals to younger people, but they can provide the counter narrative message too, in a way that young people can understand.”
David continued:
“The film entries by colleges across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight were of a very high standard. All of the judges were very impressed. These films will be invaluable in community settings and in schools to help prevent extremism and terrorism.”
The judging team included Simon Hayes, Regional TV Journalist of the Year Emma Vardy, Youth Commission members Emalene Hickman and Harley Durham, Vine Cop PC Mark Walsh, T/Insp David Knowles and Stephen Hawkins from the constabulary’s Prevent Team.
All the films will be hosted on the Hampshire Constabulary YouTube channel as well as on the police Safe4Me internet pages, along with lesson plans.
Results:
1st: Christ the King College, Isle of Wight ‘Tolerance’
2nd: City College Southampton ‘Impressions’
3rd: The Arnewood School, New Milton ‘Terror Road’ and City College Southampton ‘ Stay Informed, Stay Safe’ and ‘Educate Against Hate’ (two entries from City College in placed third; three films in joint third place).
