BC students in Grades 8 through 12 are invited to submit their two-minute videos on health and safety in a first job.
Image from Port Moody Secondary’s Pay Attention to the Task at Hand – the 2013 winner in the Grade 8 to 10 category
WorkSafeBC’s 2014 Student Video Safety Contest welcomes all styles including drama, comedy, documentary, music video, stop-motion film, claymation, or animation.
The theme is Don’t Let Your First Job Be Your Last and, in it, students may want to explore “… training, the safety gear you’ll need to wear, the importance of asking questions, the need to understand workplace hazards, your right to refuse unsafe work – or how you’ll balance work, home, family, and a social life,” reads the contest announcement.
“Being the new person at work can be challenging,” reads this invitation from WorkSafeBC Sometimes you’re given the thankless jobs that nobody else wants or the physical work that your body isn’t accustomed to. You might face unfamiliar equipment and new processes. And you’ll meet new people too. Sometimes, it can feel quite daunting.
I emailed a teacher whose classes have won awards in the contest before – to see if he has any new advice for students and teachers taking part in the contest. Brent Phillips-Watts, a teacher at Port Moody Secondary School, shared his tips for teachers last year. He’s doing the 2014 contest with his Media 9 classes and as an introductory project for his Film 12 students.
Brent advised teachers not to worry about having “the best gear or most expensive equipment.”
“It’s the message that makes an impact,” Brent told me last year. “Spend some time on figuring out exactly what you want to say… They are at the age that many are looking to get a first job, and being reminded of their rights and the danger is a good thing.”
Down the coast, the team at Oregon Young Employee Safety – known as O[yes] – are gearing up for their 2014 “Speak up. Work safe.” video contest. The video below offers tips for young creators at the brainstorming phase. It’s by an O[yes] summer intern who won his own video awards and shares his secrets with current contestants – helpful ideas for video makers in other jurisdictions.
Good luck to all! I’m really looking forward to seeing what’s in store. The deadline is April 4, 2014, but WorkSafeBC reminds would-be participants that the sooner their video is posted, the more time people will have to view and vote on it.
