21st Century Skills Bullying Prevention Film Competition

21st Century Skills Bullying Prevention Film Competition
Detailed Information

	P3R Overview	Stories of Us Method	Benefits	21st Century Skills	Requirements
	Staff Options	Timelines	Categories	Curriculum	Cost

As part of the Promoting Positive Peer Relationships (P3R) bullying prevention initiative, we have established a national, annual competition for student films developed and produced using the Stories of Us method. The method emphasizes the inquiry process as students research the subject, collect data and build realistic timelines to explore how bullying develops, then translate their findings into short film scripts – and film selected scenes from their story.

Designed for middle and high school students, the P3R Make-Your-Own-Film active learning curriculum combines a range of 21st Century literacy skills and strongly aligns with English Language Arts and Health Education standards. At the same time, the curriculum promotes social cohesion and helps reduce bullying in schools.

"It would be difficult to find a classroom project that better illustrates the range of skills currently termed '21st century literacies,' and considered increasingly essential for academic and real-world achievement."
National Council of Teachers of English's "Council Chronicle"

In addition to its curriculum and other resources, the P3R initiative aims to create a web-based, education-friendly hub to engage and empower young people in constructive dialogue about bullying. Student-produced films and scripts submitted for the competition will form the center of this hub.

The competition is proudly supported by the following partner organizations:
American School Counselor Association (ASCA)
California League of Middle Schools (CLMS)
National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP)
National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform
National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS)

P3R Overview

Promoting Positive Peer Relationships (P3R) is a unique series of film-based education resources for supporting students, educators and the broader community in addressing the problem of bullying in schools. The P3R resources center on films developed and produced with students, for students. The films are compelling to young viewers as they authentically reflect their peers' collective experience of bullying. The project team includes three of America’s leading specialists on bullying and school violence. P3R has the support of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, along with a broad base of leading educators from across the country.

Each P3R resource is built around professional films produced in collaboration with students. The four core components are:
Classroom Resource
Make-Your-Own-Film Resource
Professional Development Resource
Community Education Resource

Stories of Us Method

The Make-Your-Own-Film curriculum provides step-by-step instructions in the Stories of Us method. The activities outlined in the curriculum include:
Researching the topic
Collecting and Analyzing Data
Converting research findings into Storylines
Developing Scenes
Rehearsal and basic Filmmaking Skills
Crew Practice and Pre-Production
Filming and Editing

The curriculum is designed to engage students in a structured investigation of the reality of bullying in their lives. While their goal is to create a script and film selected scenes, the journey traveled in following the method maximizes the development of academic and social skills with the potential for significant gains in reducing bullying in the school.

In addition to the extensive instruction, charts, pro forma documents and support information contained in the binder, the resource DVD provides behind-the-scenes footage from the production of the professional student film and interviews with the students offering guidance for other students working with the Stories of Us method. The DVD also provides examples to support the instruction in script writing and production skills.

The material students must include when submitting for the competition demonstrate that the students have developed the range of skills covered in the curriculum.

Benefits

	The benefits to schools and other education organizations include:
		Winners will receive national exposure – they will be featured in their own section of the Stories of Us website, linked to partner organizations' websites; and highlighted in future promotional activities for the competition and associated curriculum
		All participants will increase bullying prevention and community building

The benefits to students include the development of increased knowledge and skills in the following areas:
21st Century Literacy skills
Bullying prevention
Social skills
Teamwork and community building
English Language Arts skills
Filmmaking skills
Researching skills
Data collection and analysis

21st Century Skills

	The Stories of Us method combines a range of activities which align with 21st century learning. More specifically:
		Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes: the method incorporates 21st Century Themes in an interdisciplinary project;
		Learning and Innovation: the project requires all the key skills of creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem solving, and communication and collaboration;
		Information, Media and Technology Skills: students develop media and ICT literacy as they write, plan and produce their films; and
		Life and Career Skills: students work as a team as they examine their collective behavior and translate their finding into films, in the process developing initiative, self-direction, and social and cross-cultural skills.

Competition Requirements

	Required submission materials include:
	1.	A chart presenting a class survey of why students bully, where and when.
	2.	Two lists of the most common bullying incidents (one each from boys and girls), with associated data for how the students rate the incidents in terms of “How Important” and “How Common”.
	3.	A Synopsis and Finished Film Script.
	4.	Student Film (4-5 minutes of selected scenes from their script, including a resolution scene from the boys’ and the girls’ storyline).
	5.	A chart identifying the main bullying incidents in their story, how the victimized students reacted, and how they might better have dealt with the situation at each stage.
	A panel of judges will be composed of teachers, students, scholars and representatives from partner organizations. Submissions will be judged on the combined quality of the students’ submitted materials.

Staff Options

The project can be implemented by either English, Drama and/or Media Arts staff. It is also an excellent interdisciplinary project which could involve staff from the following areas:
English
Drama
Media Arts
Technology
Counseling
Health

Timelines

	OPEN:	We are now accepting competition submissions.
	CLOSED:	There are two competition cycles per year: Round One Submissions close March 31 Round Two Submissions close August 4
		Given the time required to prepare and implement the project we recommend that schools commence planning as soon as possible*.
	ANNOUNCED:	Round One Winners announced mid May Round Two Winners announced mid September

	* IMPLEMENTATION: Example timelines for implementing the curriculum.

Cost

The cost of the competition curriculum, the Make-Your-Own-Film Resource, is $280.00 (P3R program and some association discounts apply). >How to Order

Resource training packages are also available.

There is no charge for submitting to the competition.