Colin Prescod
Since moving from a twenty-year academic career (lecturing in political economy and sociology) to join the BBC in 1989, where he became Head of the African/Caribbean Programmes Unit (TV) (1991/1992), Colin Prescod has worked mainly in film, TV, theatre and most recently in advisory-curating in the museums and archives heritage sector (advisor to two new major permanent galleries, opened in November, 2007 - London, Sugar and Slavery, Museum in Docklands, London, and Atlantic Worlds, National Maritime Museum, London). He sits on the Greater London Authority's Heritage Diversity Task Force.
Currently Colin is Chair of the Institute of Race Relations, London, (and is a member of the editorial working committee of the IRR's international journal, Race and Class); Chair of the Association for Cultural Advancement through Visual Art (ACAVA), London; and Chair of Carnival Village Ltd, London. He is also co-director of the not for profit, cultural animation company, Manifesta - currently delivering "Belonging" a trans-European, creative video workshop for groups of 15 to19 year olds, across Paris, Lisbon and London.
Historically - Colin was founding-Chair, 1993-2001, of the DRUM, Centre for British Black Arts and Culture, Birmingham; was invited to contribute to the GLA Cultural Strategy, Steering Group, 2001; was an appointed member of the Mayor's Notting Hill Carnival Review Group, 2001-2003; and was an appointed member and Vice-Chair of the Mayor's Commission on African and Asian Heritage, 2003-2005. In 2004/5, he served on the Learning Committee of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA).
Marion Vargaftig
Marion Vargaftig is a leader/producer of European programmes and media projects, working at the interface of policy and practice. Her expertise is in developing projects associating media and culture as a catalyst for social change. She has worked in film and television for more than 20 years in both employed/self-employed capacities. She has extensive international experience, initiating and delivering projects ranging from conferences, exhibitions, films, publications in many EU countries and beyond, and involving a variety of partners and funders.
She has a particular interest in putting youth and other marginalised voices (migrants, refugees, cultural and ethnic minorities) centre stage, in the media. She speaks fluent English as well as her French mother tongue.
Marion has also expertise on Minority/Cultural Diversity in the media in Europe, having previously led media research projects including with/for UNESCO and the Council of Europe. Her writings are published in the UK, France, Sweden.
Over the last 10 years, her work has focused more particularly on initiative involving young people, in particular those on the margins, using video for youth expression and creativity and providing multiple platforms for these voices to be heard.
She has worked with numerous organisations, ranging from cultural organisations and institutions such as the Pompidou Centre, the Museum Cité Nationale de l'Histoire de l'Immigration, Arts Council, International NGOs (UNICEF, Save the Children and Separated Children in Europe Network, NESTA (as project supervisor for the Brodsky Quartet music initiative with schools) etc.
Since 2003, Marion has been an advisor to The European Cultural Foundation (ECF) for theoneminutesjr project - in charge of the strategic development of the broadcast element for this youth digital media project with European public service broadcasters -creating a network of more than 12 public service broadcasters in the UK, Finland, Iceland, Italy, Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Hungary and Bulgaria. More recently, she has contributed to the development of StrangerFestival, and is Strangerfestival media consultant, with the second edition taking place in Amsterdam in October 2009.