Nurturing Tomorrow’s Innovators: A Week with Ideas Foundation and the BBC - Creative Media Camp

Since 2017, The Ideas Foundation and the BBC have been partnered and working together to deliver creative briefs to students. We’ve worked in Manchester and London on a variety of projects; ranging from Glastonbury, the BBC Big Weekend, Radio 1 and TV Drama Series.

As a fresh-faced newcomer to the team at Ideas Foundation, my journey into the heart of understanding our organisation brought me to MediaCityUK. Through the partnership between Ideas Foundation and the BBC, students from Manchester College were given the opportunity to flex their creative muscles whilst working on key skills, fostering a dynamic learning environment, and empowering the next generation of innovative professionals.

The BBC had kicked off the week by setting the students a multi-page creative brief, outlining the marketing campaign requirements for the BBC TV series, Vigil. Their campaigns needed to include a social media campaign, out of home posters, a trailer and slogan and with only a week to work to the brief, the pressure was on! The students were prompted to think about who their target audience was, how they would draw their audience in to watch the series, whether their ideas were consistent over various media, as well as the location of posters. Plenty to think about!

Idea Foundation’s facilitators, Peter Bakare and Ben Worth, set to work guiding the students through creative exercises to stimulate their imaginations and inspire productivity – ideas were beginning to form. Once the foundations of the campaign had formed, it was time to consider the bigger picture.

On the Wednesday, the students had the opportunity to visit Streamland Media’s ‘The Picture Shop.’ This state-of-the-art, post-production house offered an inspiring insight into the real-world application of campaign briefs, just like the one our students received – It would not be a bad idea for them to keep an eye on their careers page!

I’ve never done work experience that I got so much out of. We usually get briefs on email so being able to come into the client building was really special.
Student, at The Manchester College

Having just raced from the train station, filled with a bundle of the first day nerves, I was relieved to find facilitators Peter Bakare and Ben Worth leading the workshop through stress and anxiety reduction techniques. Thanking the universe, I joined everyone in stretching out my muscles and humming away during the vocal exercises, which made me feel confident in my body and voice.

Such simple exercises are so easily overlooked, especially in such a fast-paced and career-driven world. It was refreshing to see the importance of stress-relief being emphasised to our future innovators. It is only to be expected that you will get a little nervous, especially before a meeting or presentation. No one is expecting you to be perfect and every opportunity is an opportunity for growth and self-discovery. Remember to breathe!

Our students spent the week dividing up tasks and implementing time management, communication, collaboration and listening with a tangible goal in mind – the final pitch! Throughout the brief, the students encountered practical issues which they had to work together to overcome; such as revising their campaign content to fit within a 10-minute period, including enough time for questions and answers on the big day itself (talk about pressure)! Despite this, all the students pulled through, showcasing their work in front of an audience and the judges.

It was fascinating watching facilitators Peter Bakare and Ben Worth holding their students’ attention, imparting their valuable guidance and encouragement. What was clear is that the students were given a platform to show off their skills in PowerPoint, sketching, idea generation, video-editing, public speaking, and collaboration.

Seeds of Growth: Beyond The Workshop

It was such a great experience to help mentor the students in Creative Camp. They all had such great ideas and watching them develop their skills over the week was such a pleasure to see. I hope they continue to use these skills in all aspects of their life no matter what career path they choose to take.
Aaliyah Rice, BBC Mentor.

What I witnessed went beyond a creative workshop—it was the planting of seeds. Seeds that will grow into creativity, confidence, and possibilities for these young minds. The week was not merely about a trailer or a pitch; it was about unlocking creativity as a pathway to self-discovery.

The students now have valuable work and experience that forms the basis of their creative portfolios, demonstrating many skills to future employers. Most importantly, their work is a testament to their abilities and confidence, inspiring their own ambitions. I am sure these students will achieve greatness in their creative pursuits, especially when they are championed by established creative professionals who were once in their shoes!

The BBC Creative Media Camp is an absolute gift to our students and our department. The processes and advice we use on our courses are mirrored, but in a more industry-based and intense environment so the students are really put through their paces. We can then refer back to the experience through the year and beyond into university and job applications. As staff we also benefit from learning new skills and being secure that what we teach prepares students for their next steps. We are so lucky to be in the third year of the project and hopefully we will do it again next year.
Katy Rushton, teacher at The Manchester College.