Philosophy

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TransmissionOffscreen Philosophy

Among the biggest challenges facing the UK today is understanding, accepting and engaging with different cultures. Our own society is now among the most diverse in the world. Simultaneously globalisation, communication technologies and access to information are combining to make the idea of global citizenship a reality. However the picture of the world we receive from the mass media is often flawed, leading to misunderstanding, separation and potential hostility. The Offscreen Education Programme embraces this challenge.

Our aim is to foster cross-cultural engagement at grassroots level by providing schoolchildren with resources and experiences that will open their eyes to ways of life and points of view that are different from their own.

As East London prepares for the 2012 Olympics, it needs to invest in the new generation and their capacity to contribute to society. A key element of the United Kingdom’s successful Olympic bid was the strength of its pluralist, intercultural agenda. It is now essential that in the run-up to 2012 that this is developed and given maximum practical expression. Through Offscreen’s Educational and Cultural work in the Middle East, and in particular its exchange programme for students and artists, it promotes a message of inclusion and tolerance.

Offscreen Beliefs

  • We have a responsibility to educate the younger generation and so afford them the best chance of addressing the problems of the future.
  • We believe that the established media often fails to give a balanced view of how people live in other cultures.
  • Interculturalism in this country and across the wider world will continue to grow and should be promoted in a structured and practical way.
  • Visual arts transcend linguistic, religious and political barriers and are the most accessible point of connection between cultures - what we see is something we all have in common.
  • The active involvement of children in art offers the most effective means to help them see the world through others’ eyes, to understand different beliefs, and experience different ways of life.