Image from 2015 Student Safety Video Contest page of the WorkSafeBC website
“School is no place for bullies. Neither is work.”
That’s the theme of WorkSafeBC’s 10th annual Student Safety Video Contest – with categories for students in Grades 8to 10, Grades 11 to 12, and a new category for post-secondary students under 25 years old.
WorkSafeBC invited students to “…create a video (maximum 2 minutes) that explores the topic of bullying and harassment in the workplace.”
“All styles of video are fair game: drama, comedy, documentary, music video, stop-motion, claymation, animation,” it reads.
“Entries will be judged on their impact/transferable safety message, original creative concept, and technical execution. Winners take home cash prizes and may also advance to the It’s Your Job national young worker video contest.”
How to get inspired
Think about how it feels to be bullied – or to see it happening to someone else. Are they trying to get a laugh from others at your expense? Do they put down others – thinking they are “funny” – to build themselves up? How sad they never learned how good it feels to be kind – but it’s never too late. You might call me naive, but I have much hope that bullies can learn to be nice!
I wrote about my own experience – Confronting my workplace bully – and there are now Bullying and Harassment Policies that protect workers’ rights.
“No matter what the theme is, think about, as a student, how you can connect personally to the topic,” said Robin Schooley, a young and new worker industry specialist with WorkSafeBC.
Robin told me about the Student safety video winners for 2014. She and her team put the contest together and have been excited to see its 10th anniversary.
“Whenever we bring something personal into developing something creative, it’s going to feel more natural and come across as more authentic,” Robin said.
“Find something you can connect to – whether it’s something you’ve seen your parents or your friends do. Find something you have an emotional response to, and when you incorporate that, people generally feel it’s more authentic.”
Submission details
Entrants post videos on YouTube then send their links to WorkSafeBC for review. Video that meet criteria – with “no inappropriate language or images and no copyrighted music” – will be posted on the WorkSafeBC website, where people can view and vote for their favourites.
Deadline for submissions is Wednesday, April 1, 2015. “But remember: the sooner your video is posted, the more people will have a chance to view it,” says WorkSafeBC.
