Emma Hassard Communications Officer at the IEF at the TV advert shoot. (Inset) Ballymena born Liam Neeson.
The Integrated Education Fund (IEF) is delighted that international film star and long standing supporter, Liam Neeson, is the voice of a major advertising campaign to raise awareness of Integrated Education in Northern Ireland.
Liam Neeson is well known for his support for the Integrated Education Fund and once described its former Campaign Chair, the late Baroness May Blood, as his hero.
The commercial was filmed in Belfast at Cranmore Integrated Primary School and Hazelwood Integrated College and features pupils, parents and teachers from both schools as well as drama students from Lagan College Belfast.
Participants in the ‘People Say’ advert describe Integrated Education as inspiring, incredible, inclusive, innovative and interesting. All scenes depicted are commonplace school scenarios. This realism carries through to the weather, which was particularly wet on the day that the primary school pupils were filming outside!
The advert concludes with Neeson saying:
“Gaining Integrated status for a school comes about by consensus and intention, not accident. And every year across Northern Ireland more parents and schools are making that decision.”
Liam Neeson commented on the campaign:
“I am delighted to have been able to be part of this exciting advert, helping to raise awareness of the tremendous positive impact that Integrated Education has on society in Northern Ireland today. I hope the campaign will help inform and encourage people to consider an Integrated Education for their children.”
The past few years has seen a dramatic increase in the number of schools exploring Transformation to Integrated status resulting in 21 positive parental ballots in favour of Integrated status.
The IEF want to thank and acknowledge the support of the schools and school communities for enabling this advert to come to fruition, we simply could not have made the advert without their support.
Paul Caskey OBE, Head of Campaign at the IEF said:
“The IEF are thrilled to launch this new campaign to help promote and share what Integrated Education is all about. This campaign would not have been possible without thesupport of our donors. Our hope is that any parent who views this advert, or sees the campaign, will think about sending their child to an Integrated school or registering for their child’s school to become Integrated at integratemyschool.com.”
Integrate My School is a website where parents can register their interest in their child’s school becoming an Integrated school. It is designed to empower parents to express their support for Integrated Education. Any parent can register interest in their child’s school transforming to Integrated status confidentially at integratemyschool.com