With a packed and varied calendar of screenings and events, Awards that offer worldwide recognition, and a headquarters and website that are always worth a visit, it’s a good time to be a BAFTA member. And it’s an especially good time for BAFTA members who value the future of their industries.

That future relies on this Academy making the most of the incredible talent in its ranks.

Together, through our annual Awards, we set the gold standard for our industries. If we wish to continue as the standard-bearer for excellence, we must – each one of us – remain attuned to new developments in our industries and disciplines, and play a full, considered part in the voting process.

The other imperative as far as our membership is concerned is to harness the expertise and experience in our midst to inspire tomorrow’s talent.

As highlighted in the Learning & Events section, the BAFTA Youth Mentoring Programme is a significant step forward in achieving that aim.

Nearly 30 BAFTA members have volunteered to work with 100 or so disadvantaged 13-25-year-olds, individually and in groups, on projects that range in nature from dramas to documentaries to new media, and in scale from small, one-off enterprises to long-term projects. The mentors each decide how much time they can offer, and are then matched to projects that dovetail with their skills and availability.

All of them received initial training from Media Trust’s Youth Mentoring Team, followed by regular support, advice and opportunities to share their experiences with fellow BAFTA mentors. There is also the knowledge that they are having a lasting impact on another person’s life. The experience may well change their own lives, too.

We need many more volunteers for projects like this and others in our Learning & Events programme. We hope to develop similar projects elsewhere in the UK, as well as other knowledge-sharing initiatives, and set in motion a virtuous circle that passes expertise and inspiration from one generation of practitioners to the next.

We need to make the most of the incredible talent in our ranks.