Be The Best appointed to launch creative writing competition backed by Nobel winner Malala Yousafzai
Be The Best Communications has been appointed to launch a new creative writing competition for secondary school students, backed by the world’s youngest Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, and the National Literacy Trust.
New education technology organisation Connected Creatives has appointed In My Experience and Be The Best Communications to launch the 500-word writing competition to more than 4,000 schools across Britain, to provide a much-needed creative outlet for young people who have been struggling with the impact of COVID-19 on their education and mental health.
Connected Creatives, a new education technology platform that is free for schools, teachers, and pupils, officially launched its 500-word Malala Yousafzai Creative Writing Competition on 8th September, to mark UNESCO’s International Literacy Day 2020.
The creative writing competition is backed by Malala Yousafzai, campaigner for educational equality and the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Aged 11, Malala wrote for a BBC blog about her experiences of the Taliban’s occupation of her town in Pakistan, speaking out on behalf of girls’ rights to education. Aged 15, Malala survived an assassination attempt on a school bus when a masked gunman shot her in the head in retaliation for her activism. The following year, she founded an educational charity and co-authored her best-selling memoir, I Am Malala.
Be The Best will be working alongside In My Experience, a marketing and communications consultancy based in Stockport. It was founded in 2019 by Helena Banfield, an award-winning marketing professional with more than 18 years of experience in not-for-profit and community led initiatives.
Be The Best Communications will provide PR support for the launch of the Malala Yousafzai Creative Writing Competition. The PR and public affairs consultancy, based in Ancoats, was founded in 2018 by former journalist Chris Walker. It specialises in campaigns for technology and education organisations.
Chris Walker, founder and director of Be The Best Communications, said:
“This campaign is very close to our hearts. This year has been particularly difficult for school students who have missed out on learning and been isolated from support networks, and for the creative industries, which have suffered from more than 400,000 job losses, business closures, leading to a diminishing number of creative opportunities for young people.
“Connected Creatives will provide a much-needed outlet for children to use their imagination, express themselves, and showcase their talents. Our experience working in education and technology has shown us the huge potential that edtech offers to create opportunities for young people regardless of their background.”
Connected Creatives was founded by Dr Yasmin Hussain (EdD), an educationalist who won the Queen’s Anniversary Award – the highest national Honour awarded in UK further and higher education – for her work on the development of ‘Mother Tongue, Other Tongue’ with Professor Carol Ann Duffy DBE.
Dr Hussain, Faculty Outreach Manager at Manchester Metropolitan University, said:
“Working with two agencies allows us to reach more people as we spread the word about Connected Creatives. It was immediately clear that both agencies understand our mission and are passionate about educational equality and providing opportunities for young people. I’m thrilled to be working with them as we launch the campaign.
“We are all so excited to have Malala on board for this competition. Not only does she tirelessly campaign for educational rights and believe in the importance of creativity in learning, she is the perfect example of how the voice of one child can create positive change worldwide.”
Malala Yousafzai said: “Almost one billion girls and young women are missing out on vital education and skills. Writing and storytelling have been essential in my fight to improve educational equality and the rights of girls to learn.
“Every child has a story to tell.
“The Connected Creatives competition sums up exactly why I became an activist in the first place – young voices really do matter, but too often they’re ignored or silenced.”
Full details of the competition can be found on the Connected Creatives website: https://connectedcreatives.co.uk/
News of Be The Best’s appointment by Connected Creatives has been featured in PR Week, Prolific North, and New Digital Age.