Prince William was at BAFTA in London this morning to formally launch a new campaign to encourage young people from all backgrounds to enter the film, TV and games industries.
The BAFTA ‘Give Something Back’ campaign calls on BAFTA members, winners and industry organisations to share their knowledge with new and emerging talent via mentoring, scholarships, guest lectures and summer work placements.
During this morning’s visit to BAFTA headquarters, The Duke of Cambridge heard from recent mentees and dropped in on a games design workshop with students from London schools, as part of the Young Game Designers initiative.
In a speech to launch ‘Give Something Back’, he said: “I sincerely hope everyone working in the UK film, television and games industries will support this fantastic new initiative… ‘Give Something Back’ is a special opportunity for our supremely talented professionals to offer a small amount of their time, or money, to contribute to BAFTA’s learning programme.”
Of the BAFTA Young Game Designers initiative, Prince William added: “It is a brilliant scheme to get young people started in games… I hope the young people take inspiration from today’s workshop, and get a taste for what a career in games might be like. I know that I, for one, as an enthusiastic but quite useless gamer, look forward to playing the weird and wonderful games which these young people dream up in the future!”
John Willis, Chairman of BAFTA, said: “We are grateful for the support of our President, HRH The Duke of Cambridge, as we launch the ‘Give Something Back’ campaign. The launch comes one year after the BAFTA Career Pathways survey of 2,000 young people demonstrated the importance of contact with practitioners who can demystify the industry, offer guidance, and champion new talent.
“We’re calling on BAFTA members, award-winners and industry colleagues to get involved in three ways: volunteer their time to talk to or mentor young people; make a donation to support our charitable activity; or offer paid summer work placements to help talented individuals take their first steps in a career in film, television or games.”
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