The Active Citizenship Network

The Active Citizenship Network (ACN) is a partnership of schools, voluntary organisations, the media and business committed to the support of students and teachers in the implementation of citizenship as part of the National Curriculum. The Network utilises digital video technology in the development of School Video News Teams in their role as ambassadors for their schools.

The ACN is committed to supporting young people in the development of citizenship skills required for them to become actively involved in the life of their school and community. Working in partnership with a local voluntary organisation and a professional media mentor, students accept a brief to research and produce a video report on the work of the voluntary organisation. ACN's Education Director then develops citizenship teaching materials based on the Video News Team reports. The reports and teaching materials form the basis 0of Citizenship Study Packs for Key Stage 4 students across each region.

The ACN believes that a degree of media literacy is an essential element in the development of young people as participating citizens in a modern democracy. ACN maintains that once students have been involved in the production of a piece of television, they will never watch the moving image with the same eyes again.

The achievement of students in researching models of active citizenship within their own community is celebrated at Regional Awards Days. A morning of citizenship and media workshops is followed by an afternoon screening of the student video reports and the ACN 'Oscars'.

School Video News Teams are made up of:

• Fifteen Year 10 students - gifted and talented, disaffected or mixed ability;
  
• a team facilitator - a learning mentor, support team member or parent; and
  
• a team co-ordinator - a teacher providing 'light touch' academic support.

Using a mix of distance and face-to-face learning techniques, ACN teachers and media professionals work with the students and staff in order to develop their research, news gathering and video production skills.

Working sometimes as a video production team of fifteen and sometimes in five news teams of three, the students record significant events in the life of their school and produce a school promotional video targeted at Year 6 pupils in feeder primary schools.

Supported by a professional media mentor, the student video team works in partnership with a local voluntary organisation in order to research and produce a four-minute video report on the work of the organisation.

( If your organisation would like to get involved with a school, please contact Helen Bottrill on 01332 227734 or email hbottrill@cvsderby.co.uk

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