Training Archives

Archive for the ‘Training’ Category

Tips & Tricks for Responsible Research & Innovation

This week Knowle West Media Centre and the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL) launched a new interactive resource exploring what it means to practice Responsible Research and Innovation.

Tips & Tricks for Responsible Research & Innovation offer 20 provocations to inspire and challenge people as they reflect on the topic: from the theories that underpin responsible research and innovation to the way we carry out this kind of work.

The Tips & Tricks are designed as a pack of square cards that can be printed at home. Each ‘tip’ is presented as a short statement and a colourful illustration, and the tips have been grouped to reflect the European Commission’s five ‘keys’ of Responsible Research & Innovation: ethical, collaborative, inclusive, open and learning.

Tips include the idea that ‘the ends and the means are equally important’ and that ‘the easiest to reach may not benefit the most.’

You can download the resources for free via the ENoLL Padlet website. The print-at-home document also contains instructions for activities you can do to spark discussion and reflection.

About Tips & Tricks for Responsible Research & Innovation

The Tips & Tricks cards have been created and designed by KWMC, in collaboration with the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL) and Thess-Ahall. The wording and illustrations were inspired by learning from the SISCODE and NewHoRRIzon projects, workshops with Responsible Research & Innovation practitioners, and KWMC’s practice and research as Bristol Living Lab.

About Tips & Tricks

KWMC has been co-designing Tips & Tricks resources since 2014, when we worked with academics and community activists in Bristol, UK, to explore how they could better understand each other’s ways of working. Current KWMC ‘Tips & Tricks’ resources include:

1. Tips & Tricks from Community Activists
2. Tips & Tricks for Academics Working with Communities
3. Tips & Tricks for Artists and Communities Working Together
4. Tips & Tricks for Living Labs (a collaboration with the European Network of Living Labs)
5. Tips & Tricks for Building a Sustainable Living Lab (a collaboration with iSCAPE and the European Network of Living Labs)

You can find out more about Tips & Tricks here or purchase cards for Activists, Academics and Living Labs via our online shop.

Gallery

Image of Tips & Tricks for Responsible Research & Innovation by European Network of Living Labs

Share your stories of being ‘Active in Lockdown’

Did you become more physically active during the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020?

Are you making an effort to stay active in the 2021 lockdown?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

Active in Lockdown is a new project by the University of Bristol and Knowle West Media Centre that will explore our experiences of staying active during the COVID-19 pandemic, preserving them for people to look back on in the future.

We’re keen to hear and record your stories of cycling, running, walking or any form of human-powered mobility during lockdown! We’d love to hear a variety of stories and experiences from people who became more active during the first period of lockdown as well as people who are now trying to remain active in the dark winter months of the pandemic.

What’s the project about?

The project aims to document the huge surge in active leisure in Bristol and the surrounding area during England’s first lockdown (March – July 2020).

It will also record the stories of five Bristol residents who have discovered or returned to active leisure as they try to maintain their activity levels over the winter (January-March 2021).

To read more about the wider project, visit the University of Bristol website here.

Why are we doing this?

We want to create a freely available digital archive of stories and experiences so that we can learn some immediate lessons from them and also have a historical record of how the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed people’s lives and relationship to the world around them.

Your stories would also be used to evaluate the physical and emotional benefits of active leisure and the difficulties of maintaining levels of activity when lockdown ended. This would then help us create a series of policy recommendations for Bristol City Council, the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), regional public health organisations, and other bodies interested in improving quality of life in the area.

What will I get out of it?

As well as being part of a historical record of people’s experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, you’ll be able to meet other people, develop your digital storytelling skills and document your lockdown activity through a series of interactive online film-making workshops.

We’ll support you to use your mobile phone and free (‘open source’) editing software to make your films, which will be shown in an online celebration screening at the end of the project! These workshops will take place from February 2021 – through to April 2021.

Do you have questions? Want to get involved? Contact Josephine Gyasi at KWMC via josephine@kwmc.org.uk

Filmmakers explore ‘isolation’ in lockdown

In late 2019 we welcomed two talented young women to our team at Eight, KWMC’s creative agency. Mevis Birungi and Dee Hassan are taking part in the placement scheme Creative Workforce for the Future – a new programme supported by the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) and the European Social Fund (ESF).

The programme has been designed to support young people to gain the experience they need to sustain creative careers in sectors such as film, broadcast, digital production, animation and post-production. KWMC is one of six cultural hubs in Bristol and Bath taking part in the scheme.

At Eight, Mevis and Dee have been developing their filmmaking skills, including shooting, editing and liaising with clients to create briefs. Due to the COVID-19 lockdown and the closure of the KWMC building, we’ve had to revise many of the activities planned for their placement and explore how training, learning and filmmaking can happen at home!

Early in lockdown, we set Mevis and Dee a creative filmmaking challenge: to plan, shoot and edit a two-minute film inside their homes, on the theme of ‘isolation’. You can watch the films below.

Mevis and Dee are now working on short documentary-style films for two Bristol-based projects and we’re excited to see them further develop their technical skills and explore their individual filmmaking styles.

INNER by Mevis Birungi

A short film that contrasts the reality of loneliness in isolation with how we can appear to others.

Lockdown News by Dee Hassan

A short news show about a family of five living in COVID-19 lockdown: the second eldest takes it upon herself to sensationalise everything that happens as breaking news worthy of coverage. From her mother’s cooking to the brand of bread chosen in the weekly shop. Includes the weather report…inside the house.

Programme Credits

Through Creative Workforce for the Future we are working with The Guild (Coworking Bath), Spike Island, Watershed, CYN The Station, Bristol City Council and UWE Bristol to support creatives and businesses across the West of England to develop both industry employment practices embracing inclusion and diversity as an asset, and nurture young talent from certain under-represented groups to gain the experience required to sustain a creative career. Creative Workforce for the Future is funded by the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) and the European Social Fund (ESF) and is being delivered as part of the B+B Creative R+D programme.

Photo by Ready to Blog

Free tutorial videos to help people online

Over the last few weeks our team have been working with Knowle West Alliance to make sure that local residents have access to reliable and up-to-date information about coronavirus and the support that’s available in the community – as well as ideas for fun and practical activities to do at home.

We’ve also been making short tutorials to help people get to grips with some of the popular apps and websites that are being used for online meetings, events, catch-ups – and even parties!

We hope these resources will be particularly useful for people who are new to technology and the internet and might need a bit of help navigating online.

If there are other tutorial videos you’d find useful, please drop us a line on enquiries@kwmc.org.uk or by tagging or messaging us on social media (@knowlewestmedia on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) and we’ll see if we can help!

Tutorial: Navigating the Knowle West community website

In this short video, our Community Projects Coordinator Lewis talks you through the new coronavirus info section on the local community website knowlewest.co.uk

Online Tutorials: Joining a meeting in Microsoft Teams

Are you being invited to a lot of virtual events and meetings at the moment? In these short clips our Digital Innovation Producer Lucas shows you the steps to join an online meeting that’s being held using Microsoft Teams. You don’t need to have an account with Microsoft Office 365.

The first video shows you how to join a meeting on your computer using an internet browser, while the second shows you how to use the free app on tablets and smartphones.

Online Tutorials: Joining a meeting in Jitsi

In these short clips Lucas takes you through the steps to join a meeting that’s being held using the free secure video conferencing programme Jitsi. You don’t need to have an account with Jitsi to access the online meeting space.

The first video shows you how to join a meeting on your computer using an internet browser, while the second shows you how to use the free app on tablets and smartphones.

New placements on offer through Creative Workforce scheme

We’re delighted to be part of a new scheme supporting more young people to work in the creative industries, which launched in January 2020.

Creative Workforce for the Future has been developed by the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) and will help young people bridge the gap from education to work and gain the experience they need to sustain creative careers in sectors such as film, broadcast, digital production, animation and post-production.

Participants will undertake placements at creative and cultural hubs in Bristol and Bath, including KWMC, to develop their experience, CV, portfolio and industry contacts. They will also have access to a Talent Network offering industry expertise and advice.

Creative Workforce for the Future will also support small to medium-sized companies to develop a more inclusive workforce in the region’s cultural and creative industries.

The scheme will draw on the wealth of talent that already exists in Bristol but which is currently under-represented in the creative industries, supporting young people aged 18-30 from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds and/or who identify as being from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. In Bristol, 11% of the city’s working age population are from ethnic minorities – but this is not reflected within the film and TV sector workforce.

Young people on placement at KWMC will work with our creative agency Eight on a range of video production briefs, mentored by experienced filmmakers, to develop skills in shooting, editing and pre- and post-production. Our placement is only open to young women as it aims to address the gender imbalance within the UK film industry, where women are consistently under-represented in roles behind the camera.

According to data gathered by BFI Filmography, reviewing over 100 years of UK feature film, less than 5% of directing credits and just over 2% of Director of Photography credits were female.[1] The gender imbalance affects other crew positions too: the BFI found that fewer than 1% of films have crews that are more than 50% female.[2]

Mena Fombo, Head of KWMC’s programme for Young People & Emerging Creatives, said:”We’re really excited to have two young people joining our team on Creative Workforce for the Future placements. They have some brilliant ideas and have already got us thinking about how we can develop our programming, with their input, while we support their growth as professionals in the sector.

“Central to our work is a commitment to diversifying the creative industries. There are many talented emerging creatives across the region who simply haven’t had access to the opportunities that exist in the sector: there is a lot of unused and unsupported talent out there. The sector needs to change and we are excited to support that change by enabling new voices, new ideas and new ways of working to emerge, to produce better and more representative content.”

West of England Mayor, Tim Bowles said: “I want to ensure that everyone, regardless of background, has an opportunity to have a career in the creative industries. Bristol is one of the BBC’s three key sites, along with London and Manchester, and the BBC Natural History Unit is soon to be expanded as a core part of the region’s production activity. It is also the home of Channel 4’s new Creative Hub. These businesses need skilled employees now, and this demand is expected to increase.”

Channel 4’s Managing Director Nations and Regions, Sinead Rocks, said: “The creative industries need to be more representative of the UK as it is today and so we’re delighted that Creative Workforce for the Future will be nurturing and developing fresh, untapped talent with a particular focus on young people from under-represented groups in really tangible ways.”

Find out more about the scheme and how to get involved here.

About the scheme

Creative Workforce for the Future will be delivered by WECA’s partners in the Network for Creative Enterprise, led by the University of the West of England and Watershed, with hubs including The Guild Bath, Knowle West Media Centre, Spike Island, and Rife Magazine at Watershed, who are joined by new hubs Bristol City Council’s Bristol Museums and Creative Youth Network. They will work with business networks in the region including Bristol Media, the Royal Television Society, Creative Bath, TechSpark, Bristol Games Hub, the West of England Design Forum and Engine Shed, and the Channel 4 Creative Hub which launched on 15 January in Bristol.

Creative Workforce for the Future is identified in the West of England Employment and Skills Plan, developed by WECA in partnership with businesses and skills providers, in line with the region’s Local Industrial Strategy. It is supported by investment from the West of England Combined Authority and the European Social Fund and is being delivered as part of the Bristol + Bath Creative R+D programme.

Sources

[1] https://filmography.bfi.org.uk/credits
[2] https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/features/infographic-women-uk-film-1911-2017

Exploring the ethics of new technologies

This Autumn Knowle West Media Centre is hosting two free workshops exploring the ethics and uses of new technologies: Guess Who? will uncover how facial recognition systems make decisions about us, while Become an AI Activist invites you to use Artificial Intelligence technology in social action and protest.

Join a friendly group for a day of discussion and creativity as we ask the question: whose intelligence is it anyway…?

No experience with coding or technology is needed and both workshops will be interactive and fun, led by two fantastic teams of artists and creative technologists. You can book for one or both workshops, and lunch will be provided on both days.

Find out more about each event below and contact Martha to reserve your free place.

Guess Who?

Monday 21 October, 10am – 3pm
Location: KWMC: The Factory (Filwood Green Business Park)

This workshop will explore how facial recognition systems make decisions about our identities, led by artists and creative technologists Ellie Foreman and Rachel Smith.

Together we will demystify the Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based technologies that are responsible for facial recognition and explore the ethical implications associated with its use.

By playing with a physical door controlled by an existing facial recognition system, we will discover how these technologies work, the bias baked into such systems, and how to trick them (with the help of fake moustaches and paper!)

We will then make our own facial recognition application – no coding experience required.

Find out more here.

Become an AI Activist

Monday 28 October, 10am – 3pm
Location: KWMC: The Factory (Filwood Green Business Park)

A workshop exploring how to use conversational AI (Artificial Intelligence) as a medium for protest. Run by artists and creative technologists Coral Manton and Birgitte Aga.

Coral and Birgitte have been developing a ‘feminist chatbot’ for over a year with groups of self-identifying women from across the country through a project called: Women Reclaiming AI for Activism (WRAI). In this workshop you will have the chance to:

– find out about the WRAI project

– learn how to create your own activist chatbot for an issue you care about (such as equality or the environment)

– find out how to involve your wider community in using conversational AI as a medium for protest.

This is an opportunity for collective action and protest, and a space for you to share your thoughts and be listened to.

Childcare and travel bursaries are available.

Find out more here.

Regional Mayor visits digital training programmes

On 25 June we welcomed the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) Regional Mayor Tim Bowles to KWMC and KWMC: The Factory to meet two groups of women currently taking part in our digital training programmes.

Over the last few months, the groups have been learning a range of skills to help them design and build everything from furniture and digitally-manufactured products to their own websites and brands.

The training programmes – Making It and From Her Digital – are part of the Women into Digital Jobs, Education and Training (WIDJET) project, which is supported by WECA and aims to support women to find jobs in digital roles and address the under-representation of women in the digital sector.

Gallery

Making It is based at KWMC: The Factory and supports participants to learn a range of skills including how to use digital design software, follow a design process, and use digital manufacturing technologies and machinery including laser cutters and 3D Printers.

From Her Digital sessions take place at KWMC and are designed to equip participants with the skills, knowledge and tools to embark on a career in the digital industry, such as web development, digital marketing or graphic design.

If you’re interested in training opportunities at KWMC, you can find out more about our current and forthcoming courses here.

Making It and From Her Digital are part of the Women into Digital Jobs, Education and Training (WIDJET) project. WIDJET is a West of England Combined Authority project, funded by the Government’s Department of Digital, Culture, Media & Sport.

Film training programme puts volunteers in the spotlight

In early 2019 the Our Digital City team were approached by Hartcliffe & Withywood Community Partnership (HWCP) and asked to help teach a group of local residents and community leaders how to shoot, edit and produce their own short film, showcasing the excellent volunteer work being done by local residents and groups within their community.

Today’s consumer technology can empower almost anyone who can think creatively. You can use smartphones and tablets to write a bestselling book, record a number one song, capture a profound moment through photography, and even tell a story through film. They say that the best camera is the one you have with you…

The group decided that shooting the film with smartphones would be a great idea: as many people own smartphones, the group wouldn’t need to rely on high-end and expensive equipment, thus creating a sustainable model for future film projects. The Our Digital City team shared their skills and knowledge with the group, supporting them with the initial storyboarding, advising how to achieve their desired shots most effectively, and helping with filming techniques and editing processes.

Gallery

From there, the group went out into their community and interviewed a range of volunteers and groups: by implementing the techniques they had learned with the Our Digital City team, the group felt confident enough to organise the shoots and film everything themselves.

When all of the footage had been filmed and collected, it was time to put the final piece together, so the ODC team taught some members of the group how to use Apple’s iMovie editing software in order to produce a finished film.

In order to make a film that was truly accessible for all viewers, Sam from the HWCP group (left) added subtitles to the whole film.

The project was a great success and the group finished with a completed film that showcased the great work that is being done by individuals and groups within the communities of Hartcliffe and Withywood.

Participant Sam Parker said:

“I really enjoyed the sessions with KWMC. I really enjoyed the editing of the films – really simple and easy to understand but now I look like I really know what I’m doing!”

This project also demonstrates that by utilising the technology we carry in our pockets in a creative way, we can be empowered as a community to shine a light on those who work hard to make a difference in their area and enable them to tell their own stories.

The sessions were delivered as part of the Our Digital City project – please get in touch with Jess or call 0117 903 0444 if you would like to run something similar in your area.

Digital skills programme secures funding

We’re delighted to be part of a new skills programme in the West of England to support women to find jobs in the digital sector.

The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) has secured £238,000 funding from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) for the new Women into Digital Jobs, Education and Training (WIDJET) programme. As part of WIDJET, Knowle West Media Centre will be running a range of training programmes in Spring 2019.

Web design course: From Her Digital

Our creative agency Eight will run a short course in web design and development between May and July 2019: From Her Digital will be open to women aged 18+ who are new to the digital industry.

The programme follows previous ‘From Her’ programmes at KWMC which have supported women to increase their skills and confidence in a range of digital media disciplines including music production, filmmaking and photography.

Over 10 weeks, From Her Digital will provide participants with a solid grounding in tools, techniques and software for web design, development and digital media production.

Application deadline: 9am, Monday 8 April 2019

Digital manufacturing programme: Making It

KWMC: The Factory’s Making It programme will provide an introduction to the tools, techniques and careers associated with digital manufacturing. Through practical sessions, participants will learn a range of skills including how to use digital design software and follow a design process, operate machinery including laser cutters and 3D printers, and design for materials such as wood, fabric, acrylic and card.

Making It will run from May to July 2019 and will include training sessions in 2D and 3D design, one-to-one mentoring, and supported sessions where participants can experiment, prototype and test ideas for their own project. They will also have the chance to present what they’ve made to potential industry employers at a showcase event, and access specialist masterclasses in topics ranging from Wearable Technology to Virtual Reality.

Application deadline: 9am, Monday 15 April 2019

Making It is open to:

– Women aged 16+ from the Bristol county area

– People of any gender aged 16+ from South Bristol (Ashton, Totterdown, Bedminster, Southville, Knowle, Knowle West / Filwood, Brislington, Bishopsworth, Hartcliffe, Withywood, Stockwood, Whitchurch, Hengrove, Bedminster Down, Highridge)

About WIDJET

As well as KWMC’s training opportunities, Bath College, digital training businesses Mayden Academy and Boomsatsuma and the Dot Project will all be involved in delivering activities and training in Spring and Summer 2019.

WIDJET will work with women across the region, providing digital skills and training from entry-level taster sessions through to high-level industry specified courses. Participants can take part in a range of skills courses, training or seminars designed directly with business needs in mind, with the aim of them securing jobs in digital roles.

Minister for Digital, Margot James said: “I am thrilled to announce that the West of England Combined Authority was one of our Digital Skills Innovation Fund winners. Its fantastic work with Bath College, Mayden Academy, Boomsatsuma, Knowle West Media Centre and the Dot Project will change lives.

“Women are underrepresented in tech roles and this funding aims to help develop a more gender diverse workforce because it is not only the right thing to do but also makes business sense.”

West of England Mayor, Tim Bowles, said: “This is fantastic news and supports one of my key ambitions of improving job opportunities across the region. I want to ensure that everyone, regardless of background or personal circumstances, can access support to develop workplace skills so that they can fulfil their potential. Digital and tech is an important part of the West of England’s economy, and businesses have a particular need for skilled employees now, and this demand is expected to grow in future.

“Women are currently under-represented in digital roles and this new project will seek to tackle this by engaging with a wide group of women in communities, with the aim of moving us towards more representative and inclusive employment in digital roles across the region. This could include roles in virtual reality, VFX design or software development.”

More details

More details about the wider WIDJET programme can be found online or by emailing widjet@westofengland-ca.gov.uk

From Her Digital and Making It are part of the Women into Digital Jobs, Education and Training (WIDJET) project. WIDJET is a West of England Combined Authority project, funded by the Government’s Department of Digital, Culture, Media & Sport.

Seeing Barton Hill through a new lens

In 2018 the team at Knowle West Media Centre worked with a long-established volunteer-led walking group at Wellspring Healthy Living Centre in Barton Hill to co-design a photography project, inspired by one of our previous projects in Knowle West.

The course was designed to not only increase people’s digital skills and confidence using technology, but to value their local knowledge and provide space for peer learning.

Photos taken by Wellspring walking group

The project team ran five sessions; each week had a different theme, decided by the group, and a walk route across the area that was tailored to fit the theme. KWMC provided DLSR digital cameras to use during the sessions and gave one-to-one support to help the group use them. We also encouraged people to bring cameras if they had them to improve their confidence using them.

The most popular theme was ‘Local History’, which we ran over two sessions because we couldn’t fit everything into one! A local history group provided a number of archive images and we also used the online tool Know Your Place to compare older maps and other resources with what we can see today.

Photos taken by Wellspring walking group

Whilst on the walks, we used the archived images to directly compare how different places looked then and now. This encouraged the group to share their memories of Barton Hill and local historical knowledge about the area.

The project allowed us to cover so much more than photography: it connected new people to both KWMC and Wellspring, created a space for people to share knowledge about their community and other activities that are on offer there, and provided a supportive space for people to learn more about technology and address other personal challenges.

The sessions were delivered as part of the Our Digital City project – please get in touch with Jess or call 0117 903 0444 if you would like to run something similar in your area.