Deborah Olagunju
10 E-lumni currently making waves in the music ...
10 E-lumni currently making waves in the music industry

An EXCITING last week of term

Typically educational institutions wind down as the term draws to a close, however nothing about ELAM is typical! The last week was filled with exciting site visits from our fantastic industry partners, a legendary Masterclass with notable UK rapper Giggs, a Games Festival, and a trip to the Young Vic! Read on for a snapshot of everything that went down…

Playstation: Project mentoring for Y13 Games

Big thank you to our friends at Playstation for holding two mentoring sessions for our year 13 Games Design trainees. The trainees were given valuable industry advice on their final projects, and will be using these sessions to build on the fantastic work they have already produced.

Giggs Masterclass

Our trainees were thrilled to be joined by the notable artist that is Giggs. The lecture hall was filled with trainees who were keen to hear all about his journey in the industry and trainees were given the chance to ask questions and get advice from a seasoned artist. A big shout out to everyone involved and a special thanks to Giggs and his team for coming down.

Lammas Park: Project mentoring for Y13 Film

Our year 13 Film and TV trainees were graced with a visit from Lammas Park, Steve McQueen’s production company (the production behind the hit BBC drama ‘Small Axe’, directed by McQueen). On Tuesday they came down to carry out a mentoring session, helping to support them in the finalisation of their projects.

A&R Visit from UMPG/ Island Records

Any opportunity for industry feedback is so important our young musicians so a big thanks to UMPG and Island Records for coming down to listen to and speak with our Music trainees!

ELAM Presents… Games Festival

Our Games Festival on Wednesday was a huge success! We are so proud of our Games department and trainees. Many of you came to see and experience what Game Design at ELAM is all about, but don't stop there! Check out these E-Games; all playable games designed by our trainees. Thank you so much to our industry partners for coming down to support us: Creative Assembly, Sports Interactive, Curve Games and The Cyber Nerds. If you were thinking about studying Game Design at ELAM... click here to apply now for 2022.

English Trip to the Young Vic Theatre to meet Kwame Kwei-Armah

Our A Level English trainees took a trip down to Southbank to meet Kwame Kwei-Armah, the extraordinary playwright, actor, singer, broadcaster, director and current Artistic Director of the Young Vic. It was a great chance for them to speak to one of the writers of their studied text, as well as learn more about him and his creative journey.

As the Summer term begins, we look forward to more great things happening at ELAM so be sure to stay in the loop via our social media channels and bookmark this page to stay up to date!

10 things we can do to promote gender equality in lessons

In order to #BreakTheBias, we must be the change we want to see.

It is important that we endeavour to promote gender equality in the classroom; Young people spend so much of their time in lessons, so where better to fight for change? Raising awareness and educating our trainees to treat one another equally and with respect is something we are committed to. The EDI panel meet weekly to ensure our young peoples voices are heard and represented. Here we have put together 10 tips to promoting gender equality in the classroom.

  1. Use gender-neutral pronouns to avoid excluding people for example say ‘everyone’ instead of using the term ‘guys’.

  2. When talking about professions typically associated with a particular gender, make sure to challenge these perceptions and where they come from.

  3. Teaching staff, check and ensure that your resources and materials are free from gender stereotypes, and if they do arise, challenge bias at every opportunity.

  4. Challenge any stereotypes like ‘boys will be boys’ or ‘girls are catty’ which limits understanding of gender as something binary.

  5. Address unhelpful comments like ‘you play like a girl’ or ‘man up,’ challenge and point out the implications of these statements and how they may make people feel.

  6. Avoid using boys and girls as a binary to separate them into lines or activities

  7. When using any materials, make sure they show genders in equal measure and don’t over represent some in favour over others.

  8. Mix up seating in the classroom and allow them to better understand one and other through open discussion.

  9. Support young people in identifying when gender bias is occurring using awareness activities looking at historical events, laws and cultural changes.

  10. Explore ideas of gender from different communities and cultures; avoid looking at gender purely through one lens.

Happy International Women's Day 2022!

Happy Women's Day to all

Today we are proud to celebrate women with our international community. Today is about championing equality, diversity and inclusion, in a world stifled by misogyny and patriarchy, among a plethora societal ills. Here at ELAM, we work everyday to diversify the creative industries; we support our young people to break down barriers and smash through glass ceilings.

#IWD22

Below are a few of the great works that have been produced by iconic women, that have changed the landscape of the creative industries.

The XLP Van is visiting ELAM

XLP are visiting the ELAM site on 23rd February @ 4pm - 6pm. The van acts as a mobile recording studio, which all trainees are welcome to use for extra space and studio time outside of ELAM hours! They will be located on site (in the Car Park) every Wednesday for the next six weeks.

XLP are a youth organisation creating positive futures for young people growing up on inner-city estates in London. They work with young people struggling daily with issues such as family breakdown, unemployment and educational failure, and living in areas that experience high levels of anti-social behaviour and gang violence.

To learn more about XLP and what they do check out their website.

Book Club!

Book Club will start after the February half term

 As part of our ongoing commitment to explore a wide range of voices and stories, we will be starting an ELAM book club!  The first book is The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, a story that spans from the 1950s to the 1990s and from the Deep South to California. The stunning novel follows the journeys of two estranged twin sisters leading very different lives – to the extent of adopting different racial identities.  Flyer attached and all welcome.  The book club will take place in room 218 on Thursdays at 1:30 starting on Thursday 24th February.   Copies can be purchased here or speak to the English department today before you go on half term about borrowing a copy.  Email khall@elam.co.uk with any questions and hope to see some of you there! 

Prettybird - Masterclass 141 - Lessons learned

A few reflections from the Prettybird masterclass today.

  • Keep challenging yourself, this is how you will progress.

  • Work with people you can learn from.

  • Do your own thing and find your style.

  • Keep an open mind.

  • Get honest feedback from your audiences about your project. Sometimes you are too close to it to see the bigger picture.

Check out some of Jess Kohl’s amazing content below