CHANNEL 4 EDUCATION NEWSLETTER MAY 2009 TALKING TO TEENAGERS Zuhal Sultan Our teen campaigning project, Battlefront, is reaching the end of its first run and the 20 campaigners have been working around the country on events and publicity for their causes. Zuhal Sultan from Baghdad played a piano recital at Wigmore Hall in London on 2 April, her first concert in the UK, and gave a talk about why she wants to set up the first ever National Youth Orchestra of Iraq. On 31 March, James Greenhalgh used an amazing machine called a 'flogo' to publicise his campaign against tuition fees, sending pound shaped bubbles over the Houses of Parliament. Tom Robbins (who spent Pancake Day giving away free pancakes in Soho) publicised his kindness campaign by setting the UK record for the biggest group hug at a football stadium at Milton Keynes Bowl! All the Battlefronters met in London to be filmed for the next episode of the Battlefront tv series. They shared their experiences over the past year, met their mentors and enjoyed the support of celebrities and MPs, including Ed Balls, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families. There's still lots going on across all the campaigns, so please go to battlefront.co.uk and support the campaigners in any way you can.   PEAK-TIME EDUCATION Adoption Season Channel 4 will put the care system under the spotlight in May with Britain's Forgotten Children, asking why a quarter of the 4,000 children up for adoption each year can't find a family. The centrepiece of the season, Adopt Me, follows four households of would-be adopters as they take part in a pioneering project to try and find homes for the children no one else wants. The season also features The Unloved, a drama about a young girl growing up in a children's home. In Cutting Edge's The Homecoming, journalist Rachel Roberts explores the effects of long term care on children; Rachel was 4 when she was placed in a children's home in Doncaster, and 30 years on she tracks down other children from the home to see where their lives have taken them. TX dates Adopt Me: Monday 11 May The Unloved: Sunday 17 May The Homecoming: Thursday 14 May   PEAK-TIME EDUCATION Endgame Based on a true story, Endgame is a political thriller showing how one man fought against all the odds to bring together two enemies, the ANC and white Afrikaners, to create a peaceful solution and an end to the killing and anarchy in South Africa. Starring Oscar winner William Hurt, with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jonny Lee Miller and Derek Jacobi, this tense drama is set during the 1980s in the violent townships and rich white suburbs of South Africa, the solitude of Pollsmoor prison and the beautiful countryside of the UK. TX Monday 4 May   PEAK-TIME EDUCATION Big Art Project This major new arts series offers a candid account of the successes and setbacks of Big Art, an initiative to create new public works of art across Britain. Channel 4's Big Art Project began in 2005 when people across the country were invited to nominate sites they felt would benefit from public art. Close to 1,400 nominations were received, from which seven sites spanning the UK were selected and internationally renowned contemporary artists were commissioned. The series investigates the broader debate about art and society: why has there been an explosion of public art; what role should the public play in its commissioning; and should artists be expected to help solve social problems or regenerate areas of the country through their work? The Big Art website includes the award winning Big Art Mob, Channel 4's initiative to create the first comprehensive map of public art across the UK with 5,250 art works uploaded to date by the public. TX Sunday 10 May   PEAK-TIME EDUCATION   1066   In the year 1066, England changed forever. Two ancient tribes were wiped out and a conqueror triumphed. While every schoolchild has been told the story of The Battle of Hastings, there were actually three great battles that year, not one. The Vikings were just as terrifying as the Normans. And perhaps King Harold was not killed by that arrow in his eye after all... Justin Hardy's ambitious two-parter 1066 reveals the untold story of the Norman conquest, not through the eyes of kings and conquerors, but from the perspective of the common man. Filmed on location in Yorkshire and Sussex, this drama sheds new light on one of British history's defining moments from the viewpoint of the ordinary villagers caught up in the chaos. TX 18 May & 25 May   NEW PARTNERSHIPS NEW PARTNERSHIPS COI workshop All Together Now As part of our ongoing partnership development work we hosted a half-day event with the DCSF and the Central Office for Information on 30 April, to explore working with the Department and its sponsored agencies on the further development of Battlefront and Year Dot. We have identified synergies with DCSF priorities including youth engagement, citizenship, PSHE and the new Creative and Media Diploma. If you are working in any of these curriculum areas and would like to know more about partnering opportunities, please email Steve Moore Channel 4 is developing relationships with the Department for Innovation, University and Skills and the wider Further Education sector. We hosted a one day workshop with DIUS in March to bring people from across post-16 education together to explore how new media innovations could support the Government's ambitions. To find out more about the conversation and ideas generated click here. We are now exploring some of the ideas generated on the day with senior DIUS officials; if you work in Further Education and would like to know more, please email Steve Moore   NEW TALENT 4Talent's Inspiration Week Last month, Channel 4 opened its doors to 120 young people as part of 4Talent's Inspiration Week. We partnered with The Guardian, Pinewood Studios, BAFTA and Microsoft to assist 14-19 year olds in understanding the different roles and skills within the media industry. Young people took part in master classes and workshops across disciplines such as Advertising, Journalism and Scriptwriting.   Inspiration Week showed the skills and experiences needed to progress in media and gave them new ways to strengthen their own career prospects.   For more information about any of the projects, programmes or events detailed here please contact: Rachel Postgate, email: rpostgate@channel4.co.uk, Telephone: 020 7306 8282