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Japan Prize UNICEF award for Flashback TV’s ‘A West African Story’ Flashback TV has won a prestigious award at the 2007 Japan Prize, an international education award for the advancement of educational programmes. ‘Inspirations: A West African Story’, won the UNICEF Prize, a special award for programmes that promote understanding of the lives of children in difficult situations. The programme was also runner up in the Adult Education category. The half hour documentary, produced for Teachers TV, looks at the work of the Carolyn A Miller primary school in Buduburam refugee camp in Ghana. Against a backdrop of brutality, war and poverty, the school battles with hungry pupils, unpaid teachers and very few resources, but its spirit remains inspirational. The programme was directed by Nancy Platt and the Executive Producer was Ingrid Falck, Head of Education at Flashback. Links: The Japan Prize: http://www.nhk.or.jp/jp-prize/english/2007/frame_participant.html
Flashback goes to Ghana ‘Inspirations – A West African Story’ is one of the latest productions by the Flashback Education Department for Teachers’ TV. Women of Liberia, do not weep’ cries a small boy in a school play about the Liberian civil war and use of boy soldiers in his homeland. Against a backdrop of war and brutalised children, poverty and displacement, this boy and his peers have found more than just refuge in the Carolyn Miller primary school in their refugee camp in Ghana. For all its struggles - hungry pupils, unpaid staff, no electricity or resources - this remarkable school has high ambitions for its pupils and a spirit that is as uplifting as it is humbling.This programme takes an everyday look at a refugee school shows scenes that are both familiar and remarkably different for teachers here in the UK. In amongst the day to day business of staff meetings, PTAs, discipline discussions and lesson planning are moving scenes of orphaned children, over-crowded classes, PE lessons in the dust and a drama teacher who is only too aware that his pupils are the future leaders of Liberia.
Giving something back Flashback was proud not only of bringing this school’s story to a wider audience, but also of making a real contribution to the school during and after the filming. We bought a new computer plus some sports and media equipment for the school, arranged for a set of re-conditioned computers to be sent to them after the production and also paid the teachers’ salaries for a month at the end of the production. We are investigating ways to give more on-going support to the school and anyone who would like to make a contribution can talk to us about ways to help. "I was asked by our teachers and students to personally thank Flashback TV for your computers! Over the summer break, I ran an intensive computer summer camp: five days a week, four hours a day (three hours for the students, one for the teachers), for six weeks. I taught keyboarding, MS word and some Microsoft excel (to teachers). In total, about 30 students and 10 staff attended. They really enjoyed spending quality time with your MACS, especially Mr. Roberts, who was always the first to arrive and the last to leave! (and if I didn't have to the lab, he 'd have probably spent his summer break there!)" Moseh Yang |
Our reconditioned computers being put to good use!