Digital Media Film Project
The overall objective of the Digital Media Film Project is to increase the opportunities for youth development linked to the development of the creative industries in Barbados. The project specifically provides out of school marginalised youth with capacity building and livelihood opportunities in the media industry and includes: 1) theoretical and practical ‘hands-on’ training, 2) a dedicated space to apply the acquired knowledge which will be used as a creative working space, and 3) loan equipment that will allow youth to start up their own audio/visual businesses and to become self- employed. The project has been expanded to include an internship period at the end of the training course, exposing the students to the labour market and the creative industry in Barbados.
The Digital Media Film Project was introduced by the Division of Youth Affairs as a project to provide practical training to unemployed marginalised young men and women who expressed an interest in the television and film industry but who had no formal training or the financial support to achieve their career dreams. These young people would have left school without any form of certification or would have had their education disrupted. The cultural industries therefore serves as a sector where their creativity can flourish, while at the same time develop their self-esteem, social skills and competencies.
The Digital Media Film Project has introduced over 100 young men and women to the audio visual sector. Students have been trained in the use of various types of video production equipment and practical experience in producing short films, music videos, public service announcements (PSAs), interviews, advertisements and documentaries. Additionally the project encourages business development by allowing graduating students access to a resource centre and equipment. The programme has provided employment opportunities to ‘out of school’ youth from both urban and rural areas. The project consists of three months of training and is repeated twice a year.
The programme continues to evolve and grow, providing more opportunities to young people, enhancing their resilience and providing them with employment opportunities. Building a strong labour force in the media industry has a ripple effect on youth employment across multiple sectors because it attracts foreign capital (human and financial).
The Project has achieved its objectives of training young people in television production, introduction to film and developing a cadre of skilled individuals and independent programme producers. Graduates from the courses are currently employed at the lone television station in Barbados, the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation. They have also found employment with the Media Resource Centre in the Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development and as independent producers, achieving the objective of self-employment and entrepreneurship. The students also have an opportunity to do advance training in Cuba and at the Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination at the University of the West Indies.
US$ 13, 500