Over recent months, Google have sponsored the ‘Well Versed Project’ in conjunction with UK charity Parentzone. Youtube storyteller PJ Ligouri, one of the top 4 bloggers in the UK, challenged young people around the UK to share advice about how to stay safe and make the most of life online.
Teenagers were asked to submit a 15 second video clip focussing on a particular element of online safety, using imagination and creative brilliance. Year 11 pupil James Hargreaves entered the competition and judges were so impressed by his efforts that he was chosen as one of the winners. PJ (pictured above with James) combined James’s clip with all other winners into a longer film which will be shown in schools and online.
James went along to the premiere of the film at the Google Head Offices in London. The event was attended by about 20 winning contributors to the film, along with representatives from Google, Parentzone and various other charities including Childnet and the Diana Award Anti-Bullying Programme. The 20 teenagers were also given a guided tour of the Google offices, which James likened to Charlie and Chocolate Factory!
It was a great event and the finished film is very good indeed. It is a hugely worthwhile project and the video has already received over 75,000 views on YouTube. James’s book opening sequence is at the beginning of the clip, which is shown below:
