The Racism. Stop It! National Video Competition

The NFB Mediatheque is pleased to partner with the Department of Citizenship and Immigration in support of the Racism. Stop It! National Video Competition.

The National Film Board of Canada will be offering educator professional development workshops across Canada in the fall of 2008 to assist teachers in leading discussions surrounding racism and discrimination in their classroom as well as providing them with the tools to teach effective video making in the classroom. Each workshop will feature clips from exciting NFB productions and co-productions that will illustrate different situations where Canadians experience racism and discrimination. These films along with teacher support materials including comprehensive guides and websites will provide teachers with the tools to teach these issues effectively and to inspire their students to create challenging, informative public service announcements for entry into the Racism. Stop It! National Video Competition.

What is it?

The Racism. Stop it! National Video Competition is open to young Canadians between the ages of 12 and 20. Youth rise to the challenge by producing a 45-60 second video to express their thoughts on eliminating racism. They can work in a team of up to five people. Ten videos will be selected by a process in which entries will be judged on the anti-racism message and technical skills. The ten winning videos will be broadcast across Canada on CBC/Radio-Canada!

How can I participate?

Unfamiliar with film? Looking for more information on discussing racism with teachers and/or students? Learn more about the tricks of the trade at a workshop led by the National Film Board of Canada. As Canada's public film producer, the National Film Board of Canada is proud to participate in this campaign to fight racism. The NFB values the opportunity to empower educators and their students with the skills necessary to make their voices heard through the medium of film, and recognize the importance of bringing media and education together to continually address social issues.

Benefits of participation

By participating in the Racism. Stop It! National Video Competition, you and your students are contributing to the promotion of an anti-racism message on a national scale. You are also helping to spread the anti-racism message in your school and your community. This project provides you and your students with a unique opportunity to work together on a collaborative project while learning new skills that you can apply later in life. In addition to learning how to promote anti-racism in your community and in your school, you are also teaching students how to examine media with a critical eye and to be mindful of the stereotypes and negative messages that are present in some media.

You and your students will learn:

• About March 21, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
• To acquire knowledge directly related to Canada's cultural diversity
• To understand what racism means in concrete terms
• To discover how racism not only affects specific individuals and groups, but hurts us all
• How to engage colleagues and friends to work cooperatively to produce a video with a clear and concise anti-racism message
• To be prepared for responsible citizenship and for becoming involved in social action on issues of community and national interest
• How to communicate ideas through the use of video
• The roles within a production team
• How to work within a production team
• How to effectively tell a story
• How to use a video camera
• How to effectively plan to create a video production
• How to critically analyze a media product
• Ideas about how to edit video productions
• The necessary steps in video production
• About National Film Board of Canada productions

Educators who participate in the workshops will receive a comprehensive guide to assist them in teaching the concepts learned in the workshop to their students. PDF copies of the guide can be downloaded here:

Click here to download the resource guide for educators PDF.

Click here to download the facilitator PDF.

Workshops will be offered in English or in French as specified.

For more information, please contact Derritt Mason at d.mason@nfb.ca.