Our work in action
Nigeria60 Alumni digital campaign and competition with Coventry University
Nigeria60: This digital campaign reconnected Coventry University with their Nigerian diaspora alumni. Special Nigeria60 Awards celebrated this alumni cohort with the Lifetime Achievements, Rising Star and One to Watch awards. Read more here
Guest Speaker talks to inspire and motivate
Revive Week: During the 2020 December lockdown, Big Ideas ran Revive Week – a week-long series of guest speaker talks including from Holocaust survivors talking about Happiness, and Black Panther actor John Kani reflecting on the film’s impact it on young people. Read more here
UK-wide bell ringing recruitment campaign to mark the centenary of WWI
Big Ideas partnered with the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers to commemorate the 1400 bell ringers who died during the First World War by recruiting 1400 bell ringers to ring for the centenary of Armistice day. It was the biggest bell ringing event in history. Read more here
Sport meets Social Action – activities for schools
No Barriers gave schools in London and the Republic of Ireland inclusion activities inspired by examples of players from the world of European football. Tied to the UEFA Euros, it launched before the pandemic andwas made available for pupils at home during 2020 lockdowns. Read more here
UK-wide community programme with Commonwealth War Graves Commission
CWGC Living Memory: Discover Explore Remember – in partnership with the CWGC Big Ideas raised awareness of 300,000 CWGC war graves in cemeteries and churchyards across the UK. Read more here
Educational day trips
Arsenal Academy U11s marked Black History Month by heading to Brixton for a tour of Black owned businesses guided by Big Ideas and concluding with a visit to Ebony Stables. Find out more here
Showcase Exhibition
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority commissioned us to celebrate the Futures for All project by curating a public exhibition at Manchester’s Central Library. The Exhibition is part of a wider move to change attitudes to people with SEND in the workplace. Read more here
UK-wide public engagement for the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation
Foundation Stones: Everyone in the UK was invited to paint a stone in remembrance of those murdered in the Holocaust, as well as all other victims of Nazi persecution and of subsequent genocides. Foundation Stones will become part of the new memorial. Watch the film here
Activation in Schools for UEFA EUROs with the GLA
No Barriers 2021 – inclusion in sport for the UEFA Euros: London schools programme tied to the UEFA Euros. No Barriers connected young people in London schools with one of the world’s greatest sporting events and promoted inclusion in sport. Funded by the Greater London Authority. Read more here
Public season marking the presence of Pocahontas in England
Pocahontas 2017: In 1607 Pocahontas visited London, fell ill and died at Gravesend. Big Ideas worked with stakeholders including the US Embassy, The British Library and the Institute of Historical Research to remember her life. Read more here
Annual nationwide engineering/STEM schools competition
Aspire to Engineer: In partnership with the Royal Commission for 1851, Big Ideas delivers schools outreach featuring the panellists from the Engineers event as inspiration and prizes! Photo: © NASA_JPL-CALTECH. Read more here
STEM project for under-represented schools – with Imperial College
Great Exhibition Squared: young people create an innovation to present to an Imperial College researcher for feedback. They can exhibit their design at the Great Exhibition Road Festival. Read more here
Nationwide activation for children to mark 100 years of the RAF
Remember RAF100: Discover Explore Remember the First World War’s RAF graves across the UK. Schools and community groups made paper planes for each grave, displayed at the National Army Museum. Read more here
Schools and communities activation celebrating pioneering women from WWI
Trailblazers: Inspirational Women from the First World War – this project profiled amazing women of the First World War and invited participants to respond and identify Trailblazing women in their communities today. Read more here
Youth-led digital event with Arsenal FC Academy
Guest Speaker Event with Arsenal Academy: Big Ideas worked with Arsenal Academy players to devise and deliver a digital event with special guests. Inspired by ‘Strong Young Gunners’, the players explored the question ‘What is strength?’ with Holocaust survivors.’ Read more on the Aresenal website
EDI programme with Premier League Charitable Foundation
Trailblazers: Grassroots community football clubs from the Premier League’s Kicks and Inspires networks discover and celebrate the first Black or Asian player from their Club. Participants take part in anti-racism discussions. Big Ideas provides resources and ‘train the trainer’ support throughout. Read more here
Event series with the British Council and BBC World Service exploring impact of WWI
The War That Changed the World: Big Ideas worked for the British Council to deliver events in Amman and Washington in partnership with the BBC World Service as part of a series exploring the impact of the First World War around the world. Read more here
Nationwide community programme commemorating Black footballer and WWI officer Walter Tull
Tull100 – Football Remembers: in partnership with the FA, the Premier League, and the English Football League, Tull100 celebrated and commemorated the life of the first Black officer in the British infantry, professional footballer Walter Tull. Read more here
Innovative immersive 3D map to explore British connections to Holocaust history
With support from google.org this map features 3D rendered ‘Foundation Stones’ in street view settings across the British Isles enabling users to discover heritage across the country.
Public consultation on new national memorial plans
Your Voice: What do people in Westminster think about the plan to build a new national Holocaust memorial in the borough? We gathered views from people near the proposal site in Victoria Tower Gardens and raised awareness of the planning process. Funded by UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation.
Interactive public tent for Great Exhibition Road Festival
The Original Great Exhibition tent at the Great Exhibition Road Festival: Big Ideas worked for the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 to create their Great Exhibition Road Festival tent in 2019, a space which celebrated innovation past and present including a 3D print out model of Crystal Palace. Read more here
Futures For All – Amber
Futures For All comprises a series of short films co-produced with an alumni from SEND schools across Greater Manchester. These films explore a day in the life of each young person working in different jobs across Greater Manchester; from retail, to healthcare, hospitality, to digital.
CPD Teacher Training with the GLA
Gamechangers CPD: Big Ideas provides Continuous Professional Development opportunities for teachers to embed social action opportunities for pupils in their schools. GameChangers is a Mayor of London initiative from Team London, #iwill and Big Ideas. It is part of the Team London Young Ambassadors programme. Find out more here
EDI programme with Premier League Charitable Foundation
Trailblazers: Grassroots community football clubs from the Premier League’s Kicks and Inspires networks discover and celebrate the first Black or Asian player from their Club. Participants take part in anti-racism discussions. Big Ideas provides resources and ‘train the trainer’ support throughout. Read more here
Engineering activations for pupils at-home during Covid
Great Exhibition at Home: Big Ideas and the Royal Commission of 1851 worked in partnership with the Royal Academy of Engineering to create a schools project for young people to take part in ‘at home’. See the winners here
Community programme resulting in unique community/academic conference
Motherhood, Loss and the First World War: Exploring the experiences of the bereaved during WW1, participants shared their findings at a community-academic conference in partnership with the Centre for Public History at Royal Holloway, University of London. Read more here
Anti-racism schools campaign for Teesside schools
Teesside Trailblazers was in partnership with Middlesbrough FC Academy. The U18s worked with us to inspire young people across the region to create anti-racism charters through schools’ events and challenges. Find out more here
Nationwide community music and WWI commemoration events programme
The Last Post Project: supported community groups across the UK to hold local events where the last post was played on any instrument to commemorate local WW1 heritage in 2014 and 2015. Read more here
UK-wide commemoration of the labourers of WWI
The Unremembered: this programme commemorated the labourers of the First World War. Mainly men from across the continent of Africa, India, the Caribbean, and beyond, The Unremembered ensured their service was included in the UK’s WW1 centenary commemoration. Read more here
Online event for secondary schools where pupils ask urgent questions about world events.
Less than two weeks after the Ukraine war started, Russia expert Bridget Kendall helped young people in more than 100 secondary schools to make sense of the world. Find out more here
European education trips with Premier League Academies to mark the centenary of WWI
Football Remembers WWI: Big Ideas worked with the PL education team and the German War Graves Commission (VDK) and young footballers from across Europe. They featured in the German Parliament event to mark Armistice100. Find out more
UK and Canada mark JohnMcCrae150
150 years after his birth more than 13,000 young people in the UK and Canada took part in online workshops to discover and respond to his story. Their poems and drawings are the basis of a social media day – with some poems being read by John McCrae’s great great nephew and others by the British High Commissioner to Canada and Canada to the UK. Read more here.
Annual engineering panel event with Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 and BBC World Service
The Engineers: Big Ideas has worked with The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 since 2016 when they staged the first edition of The Engineers at the Victoria and Albert Museum in partnership with the BBC World Service. Read more here
Youth Social Action in London Schools with the GLA
Gamechangers: Big Ideas’ schools programme empowering young Londoners to run their own social action projects, tackling the issues they care about head-on. GameChangers is a Mayor of London initiative from Team London, #iwill and Big Ideas and the Team London Young Ambassadors programme. Read more here
Inclusion Activity Books
The Premier League commissioned us to create an activity book showcasing three inspiring individuals working in the football industry for South Asian Heritage month. Find out more here
Employability for SEND schools in Greater Manchester
Co-produced employment festival with videos and workshops to bring the community together.
Respect for women and girls in schools
No Barriers 2022 is “Inspired by England 2022” and invites primary schools to mark the UEFA Women’s Euros by celebrating women footballers and championing respect for women and girls in the classroom, playground and community. Find out more here
Work placements with Deloitte Business Insights school scheme
Business Insights: Big Ideas offers a Business Insights experience to St Mary Magdalene Academy Sixth Formers as part of the Deloitte run scheme. Young people spend time every fortnight for six months getting first hand experience of our business and sharing their insights with us.
Creative community commemoration programme to mark Passchendaele100
Passchendaele at Home: Community groups marked the Passchendaele100 by identifying the UK graves of soldiers who were wounded at the battle, were brought home for treatment and sadly died in the UK. Read more here
Intergenerational film series with Premier League Academies and WWII veterans
Football Remembers WWII: Eleven player-veterans were filmed meeting today’s young footballers. The films inspired wider engagement across the Premier League and were presented as a national media campaign to mark 75 years since the end of WWII. Read more here
Annual Premier League Education Challenge
The Truce Education Challenge: Each year Big Ideas runs an U12s education challenge for the Premier League Education team. Premier League Academies respond to First World War history with a very special prize: to qualify for the flagship Christmas Truce tournament. Read more here
Quality Assurance
We have been supporting Islington Council Holiday Activities and Food Programme team (HAF) with Quality Assurance visits to confirm provision in the borough meets all the HAF requirements and that Islington’s young people are accessing excellent provision. Find out more here
Activities and Resources for Free School Meal Holiday Programmes across the country
Holiday Activities with Big Ideas: from ‘at home’ packs to facilitator session plans. ‘At home’ boxes are given direct to young people by councils with fun food, family and fitness activities to bring friends together. The facilitator resources provide fun and engaging session plans themed on food. Read more here
Youth programming for Jewish Lads’ and Girls’ Brigade (JLGB)
JLBG: Big Ideas is commissioned by the Jewish Lads’ and Girls’ Brigade (JLGB) to write and produce interactive sessions for JLGB brigades to use across the country. JLGB young leaders download the sessions and run them in person / online.
Commemoration programme in India and UK
India Remembers: in partnership with USI of India and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge laid the first marigold wreath at India Gate in 2016. The project raises awareness of the role of India in WW1 and WW2. Read more here
Schools across Teesside discover how chemists are changing the world.
More than 2000 young people from primary schools across Teesside marked National Chemistry week with a bang. The Chemistry4Change event connected 31 schools with three inspirational chemists from the Royal Society of Chemistry who are each using chemistry to protect the environment. Read more here
Consultancy for online MENA news analysis website
Arab Digest: Big Ideas consults on digital marketing and strategy for the Arab Digest team as they build their global audience, offer new digital content via their podcast and attract new members.
Youth Led work experience
Real World Learners from local secondary, School 21, took part in youth-led development at Big Ideas. They focused on improving the transition from primary to secondary for Year 6 classes. Find out more here
Co-produced films inspire young people into the world of work
Flight for All comprises a series of short films co-produced with an alumni from SEND schools across Greater Manchester. These films explore a day in the life of each young person working in different jobs across Greater Manchester; from retail, to healthcare, hospitality, to digital. Watch the films here
Eminent essay series marking the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death
Living Shakespeare: Big Ideas worked for the British Council to commission 8 essays giving a contemporary take on Shakespeare from writers and artists around the world, as part of a partnership with the BBC and the Open University marking Shakespeare400. Read more here
Sexual Consent Workshops
Delivering bespoke workshops to train footballers at Arsenal F.C. Academy in Respect and Sexual Consent, and Understanding Sexual Consent and Violence.
Writing bids
Big Ideas shared our experience and sector insights with the team at the University of East London to write their bid for an exciting new project. See more about Big Ideas for You. Find out more here
Lockdown Lookback – wellbeing activities with Manchester United
Manchester United FC: Lockdown Lookback – Manchester United Academy players met the Big Ideas team on zoom to create a diary of the lockdown taking inspiration from past and present.
Delivery of activity camp for Free School Meals holiday programme
Summer Camps with Big Ideas: in-person enriching activities for young people taking part in the Holiday Activities and Food programme funded by Westminster City Council. We also provided resources / training for the London Borough of Barnet’s summer camp facilitators. Read more here