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News & Events
WORLDbytes Programme 2 is screening now
WORLDwrite is delighted to announce that the second news magazine programme is now showing on its new and exciting online channel WORLDbytes. This month it is even bigger and better with ten segments including popular items such as the Aliens, the Panic Report and the Chill Out Desk. This month the programme takes on the fight for Ferraris for all for workers on low pay in the UK and for our peers around the world. This month's programme starts with a critical look at a popular Western pasttime – China bashing - and culminates with news of the Battle of Ideas, a festival not to be missed. Serious news reports sprinkled with satire plus a large dollop of irreverence help to make WORLDbytes a vital virtual alternative channel. Made by volunteers learning to shoot "on the job", our motto is "Don't shout at the telly; change the message on it". You can watch the latest programme here and we'd be delighted to read your response on our Viewers Byte-Back pages.
Shooting at the Battle of Ideas 2008
The WORLDbytes news channel is planning to film all the sessions possible at this year's Battle of Ideas, a two-day festival of high-level, thought-provoking debate organised by the Institute of Ideas and hosted by the Royal College of Art. The festival makes a virtue of free-thinking and fosters an atmosphere of intellectual freedom and open-ended exploration of new ideas, research and trends. With 200 speakers from a wide range of disciplines and viewpoints, the festival promises a potent mix of perspectives and promises to provide material for a whole string of exciting videos and programmes. To do it justice WORLDwrite are funding tickets for young volunteers who can help shoot and want to "learn on the job". Let us know now if this is for you and we'll book your ticket. The Battle of Ideas takes place on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd of November. Find out more and book public tickets here.
Join a WORLDwrite alternative tour
Treat yourself to an afternoon stroll along the Thames on Saturday 18th October at 1pm. Passing ivory sheds and wine vaults, our tour of St. Katharine Docks and Wapping focuses on trade and the changing nature of production. Glimpse a short section of this tour here and view our interactive map and tour facts here. Places are free for participants interested in training as alternative guides with the London Behind the Scenes programme. Please email us if this is you. There will be a small charge of £5 for members of the public; please book here.
In November WORLDwrite will be providing free "on the job" editing training for beginners on Avid Media Composer and Avid Express Pro as well as intermediate training for those with some basic knowledge. This training is for active volunteers, it will take place in the evenings and volunteers will learn to edit with material shot at the Battle of Ideas and for the charity's London Behind the Scenes programme. Please see diary dates below and confirm straight away if you would like to take part as places are limited.
Free DVDs for Schools thanks to the women who ran for Open Borders
A team of volunteers made freedom of movement the issue on the 5k women's challenge and raised an impressive £2000 from on and offline sponsorship. Thanks to their efforts WORLDwrite can now provide to the first 100 schools and educational institutions which apply a copy of the pro-immigration film The More the Merrier and accompanying booklet free of charge. A great resource for debate and discussion, the film provides a valuable historical perspective and makes a compelling case for open borders. For more details, reviews and to watch the trailer please click here. For a free copy of the film for your school please email us. To watch an interview with runners and clips from the run click here.
No more ethical shopping brochures please
In the run up to Christmas, we will no doubt be bombarded with appeals to spend a few pounds on spectacularly degrading items to help our peers in the developing world. From hoes to goats, the assumption is that people in the poorest parts of the world are not like us. Worse still it is suggested that these derisory gifts transform lives and amount to development. To put it politely we all know this to be a gigantic fib. Rather than support this "feel good" shopping nonsense WORLDwrite are asking all volunteers and friends to just hand over the cash and raise or donate £50 each to send straight to projects and individuals in Ghana with absolutely no strings attached. We hope to raise at least £5,000 by Christmas to send to the following:
- Wofa and the Old Fadama Community (a shanty town in Accra);
- 10 young people and their families for school, college and survival costs;
- Tsibu Bethel, a subsistence village in the Volta Region.
Please dig deep now, take 50 raffle tickets from us to sell or come up with your own fund-raising plan. It is easy to donate to the Wofa appeal online now by clicking here. We urgently need your support.
Xmas party and WORLDbytes programme launch
Before your diary fills up with Xmas parties, WORLDwrite has decided to get in early with a date for its Xmas bash. This will coincide with the launch of WORLDbytes programme 4. A big screen, great food karaoke, the raffle draw and a quiz hosted by an alien are promised so put it in your diary now. It's on the night of Friday 12th December and do RSVP by email to help us cater for numbers.
Would you like to work with WORLDwrite?
WORLDwrite is always looking for new volunteers and the opportunities are endless. We can't pay you but we can promise a passionate team and a commitment to campaigning for North-South equality. For a full list of volunteer opportunities and details of introductory evenings click here.
Diary Dates
Thursday 9th October, 7pm: Battle Satellite: What is the point of British Foreign Policy?
Public discussion at London South Bank University. Speakers will consider the role of British foreign policy after the failures of Iraq. Can ethically orientated intervention in support of human rights and struggles for democracy elsewhere in the world provide Britain with a coherent moral sense of itself either domestically or internationally? Speakers will include: Charlie Edwards, Bruno Waterfield, Dr Philip Hammond, and Dr Ian Kearns. The meeting will be chaired by Dr Tara McCormack. For more information or to book a ticket visit the website here.
Thursday 16th October: Emerging Economies Forum
This is the next date for those wanting to get stuck into some serious reading and discussion in the run up to this year's Battle of Ideas Emerging Economies strand, which WORLDwrite is supporting. What can the West learn from technical innovation coming out of the emerging economies? Norman Lewis, chief strategy officer, Wireless Grids Corporation; author, Digital Kids will introduce A Brave New World: Are the emerging economies the new technological innovators? For readings or more information visit the website here.
Tuesday 21st October: Volunteer Open Evening
If you would like to find out what you can do with WORLDwrite then come along to an introductory evening to get to know our projects and get involved. For more details and to book a place click here.
Wednesday 22nd October, 9am to 6pm: Train and Shoot Day
Learn to shoot on the job with interviews and vox pops for a WORLDbytes report on the governments green paper "No one written off: reforming welfare to reward responsibility". Email WORLDwrite for a place on this shoot.
Wednesday 22 October 7.30pm WORLDbytes crew meeting
All volunteers old and new interested in working on the WORLDbytes news channel project, don't miss this crew meeting at the WORLDwrite Centre London E5. We will review the programmes so far, plan shoots, consider ideas and scripts, and prepare for the big shoot at the Battle of Ideas. Let us know if you can make it - we may need a bigger space!
Thursday 23rd October: Filmed Studio discussion
The Government Green Paper; "No one written off: reforming welfare to reward responsibility". The proposals in this paper may force the long term unemployed to undertake voluntary work. If this winds you up join the 7pm Studio Discussion and 8pm Shoot at the WORLDwrite Centre in London E5. Please let us know if you are able to attend by email as space is limited.
Tuesday 28th October, 7pm: Battle Satellite: Contemporary attitudes to ageing and dying: Intimations of mortality
Foyles Bookshop, London WC2. This timely discussion is one of the Battle Satellite series of debates. Speakers will consider whether increasing the human lifespan is a straightforward moral imperative or whether we should accept death as something that gives meaning to life. Speakers include Tiffany Jenkins, Dr Liz Lloyd, Baroness Julia Neuberger, Dr David Oliver, and Dr Marcus Richards. The meeting will be chaired by Tony Gilland. For further details and tickets visit the website here.
Saturday 1st & Sunday 2nd November: Battle of Ideas Festival
Join the WORLDwrite Crew at this amazing festival to film the numerous debates, attend the premiere of WORLDwrite's latest documentary Flush it and gain new insights from the challenging discussions. For free crew tickets email Viv. For more information and public tickets visit the website here.
Tuesday 4th to Thursday 6th November, 7-9:30pm: Editing Training
This "on the job" editing training is for active volunteers who would like to learn to edit using Avid Express Pro. These evening sessions are for complete beginners and will involve working on material shot at the Battle of Ideas. Book now by emailing Ceri as places are limited.
Tuesday 4th November onwards: Calling loggers and transcribers
This is no menial task but a vital area of preparatory work for what's called the "paper edit". The work involves carefully transcribing speeches and debates filmed at the Battle of Ideas for future news programmes and articles. If you can help out or would like to have a go please email our volunteer coordinators.
Friday 7th November, 6:30pm onwards: Don't Shout at the Telly
6:30pm discussion for 7:30pm shoot at the WORLDwrite Centre, London E5. This is a regular segment on the WORLDbytes news magazine programme. If you would like to take part as a crew member or as a discussant please get in touch by emailing us.
Tuesday 18th November, 7:30pm: Introductory evening for new volunteers
If you would like to find out what you can do with WORLDwrite then come along to this introductory evening to get to know our projects and get involved. For more details and to book a place click here.
Wednesday 19th & Thursday 20th November: Editing Training
This editing training on Avid Express Pro and Avid Media Composer is for active volunteers who already know the very basics and want to get to the next stage. The training will involve editing material from the Emerging Economies strand at the Battle of Ideas and further debates. Places are limited. Email Ceri if you would like to take part.
Friday 12th December: Xmas Party and launch
WORLDwrite's Xmas bash will coincide with the launch of WORLDbytes programme 4. A big screen, great food, karaoke, the raffle draw and a quiz hosted by an alien are promised so put it in your diary now. Do RSVP by email to let us know if you can make it and help us cater for numbers.
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