2022 AGM President's Report

Another year of unpredictability, 2021 was again influenced by the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent variants that emerged. The running of our Association during the year was likewise effected.

Our last AGM followed the now established practice that has replaced many face-to-face meeting, that of meeting online. As our number of members remained low, we were still quorate and managed to form a small but hard-working Executive. As quarantine, lock-downs and mask wearing evolved into a new norm, SAAME had another quiet year.

Again we relied on email, the monthly radio program and our Facebook page for communicating with members. While face-to-face Executive meetings did occur, we also conducted online meetings and with Covid Safe Plans still in place despite some easing of restrictions, we decided to again hold the AGM online.

In 2021 SAAME’s professional development activity continued with our established focus on UNESCO's Global Media & Information Literacy Week held in October. Again this event was listed on the official UNESCO GMIL Week site but it was not the only Australian activity for the week. Twelve other events now joined ours! It is good to note that our interstate colleagues have joined the movement. Our event, “Media Education: The State of the State” was held on October 27th and was a live streamed event. Unfortunately the number who participated was small as we have now come to expect. However at our prompting BtN become the first main stream media to cover GMIL week. Meanwhile we may need to consider an alternative activity for 2022.

During the year SAAME promoted and supported the initially pandemic effected Adelaide Film Festival Youth Program. We again promoted and were a part of the judging panel for the Minister's Arts Education Award 2021. We participated in the Australian Curriculum Review of the Media Arts Curriculum and indeed we were the first Association to provide much appreciated feedback to the Review team. The aging SACE Media Studies Subject Outline become another focus for us and after some discussion amongst our members we have submitted some suggestions to the new SACE Faculty Team for consideration.

Educators SA (CEASA) held their annual Teachers Day event and we nominated Alex to receive our 'Team Hanna Award' in recognition of his involvement in organising and running Professional Development activities for our Association.

During the past year, SAAME:

• Maintained our Facebook group, MEET (Media Educators Engaging Together) and its membership has increased by 42% to 170. This site notifies members of events such as Exec meetings etc. and is a very useful resource for Media teachers.
• Continued to broadcast Media Moves each month on 5PBA-FM with sponsorship from Valley View Secondary School and was still able to give away free movie passes thanks to Steven Watt from Picture This!

In the coming year SAAME needs to examine the type of Association we are evolving into and perhaps formalise this in our Constitution. Teachers appear to be no longer looking to join Associations, even the AEU, but the aims of SAAME remain and are still as relevant today as when we formed in 1983.

Tim again ably filled the role of Secretary and maintained our website and I thank him for his efforts.

Thank you to the Executive members of the outgoing committee for helping maintain the Association during this continuing, extraordinary time.