For the month of August, Youth PWR hosted our Creative Digital Media Programme. This programme was aimed at young people to gain experience and knowledge about the media industry. The young people were able to create and produce their own projects allowing them full creative freedom seeing their ideas come to life.
The participants of this programme received cash prizes for the best work and the most outstanding participant was awarded a gift which will allow them to continue to improve their skills and build their creative portfolio. On the final day of the programme, Youth PWR hosted a celebration for the young people to commemorate their hard work over the month and further encourage them to continue striving towards a successful career in media.
For the first week the participants were introduced to the media industry and how the Creative Digital Media programme works. This session was really beneficial as it also allowed the participants to get to know each other and learn more about the people they will be eventually working with. They also learnt about portfolios which are important for this industry. Most of the participants were very interested in this particular part of the session as they haven't had any guidance on how to properly build a strong portfolio which can showcase their work in a professional but creative way.
The second week was special for both the Youth PWR team and the participants as we had industry professionals engage with and talk directly to the participants, giving them guidance and tips on how to get started and sustain a successful career in media. On the first day, Laura Winton from Move Digital and Jack Suddaby from Beautiful Strangers & Podcast House to talk about podcast and radio. With Laura and Jack starting their podcast and radio careers in different ways, this allowed for the participants to see the industry from different perspectives. The second day, we had Sharna Hill who is the CEO of Harold Hill Productions. This session was really insightful and conversational. This sparked a very useful questions and answer session and left participants feeling fulfilled. On the third day, we had Poetic Sparkles, a very talented and professional photographer. She engaged with our young people on all things photography. Poetic shared her very inspiring journey and discussed the positives and negatives she had come across. She shared her experiences being a photographer and what helped or hindered her experience.
After each guest spoke, the young people engaged in peer sessions to collaborate, explore each other's strengths, and define their project goals. They brainstormed ideas and planned how to leverage each member's strengths for the project.
The third week our participants were hard at work. They all split off into their groups to plan what they want to do for their project and how they can make it happen with the resources around them. Once the planning had finished the devised roles to even out work load and begun making their vision come to life. The participants worked really hard and with the help of our team and some industry professional volunteers, were able to build on their skills, experiment with lighting and sound and work collaboratively to achieve some great work.
For the final week, our participants shadowed industry professionals within their creative organisations and applied all the knowledge they had gained to real projects. This was an amazing experience for the young people, as they were able to gain real work experience in a field where it can be tricky to come by these opportunities. Each focus group got work experience tailored to their specific field that they expressed interest in. The film and TV group worked with Harold Hill Production studios on a feature film set. The podcast and radio group spent their days at Outset Studios where they got the opportunity to work on a some of their on going podcast project; and the photography and videography group worked at Nameless Vision Studios creating and capturing professional imagery with the studio team. The general reception from the participants was that they all really enjoyed their experiences and some have even been invited back again to do more work experience days after demonstrating their creativity and immense talent.
We ended the CDM programme with a special showcase and celebration event, where the participants showcased their work to their other peers, staff members and invited representatives from the digital media sector. We were also delighted to have hosted the Civic Mayor of Croydon, Cllr Kola Agboola, who expressed how impressed he was with the work of Youth PWR and the accomplishments of the participants throughout the programme. He said:
"I am really honoured to be here, and I believe that this is actually what our young people need; the opportunity to actually express themselves and to find themselves, so I say well done to you all!"
The Mayor’s visit was a testament to the importance of creative education in our community and the role it plays in empowering individuals to explore new opportunities in the media world. His support highlights the value of the work we do and the positive impact it has on the lives of our participants.
Youth PWR would like to show appreciation to the companies who supported us, thank you for your unwavering commitment to our cause. Your contribution to the programme made a real impact in the lives of all the young people. Also everyone who has donated to our charity, whether large or small, know that your generosity has made a world of difference. Every pound has gone towards making tangible, positive changes in the lives of those who need it most. Your kindness is the true driving force behind everything we do.
Thank you all, from the bottom of our hearts, for being part of our CDM 2024 programme. Together we have achieved more than we ever imagined!
Here at Youth PWR, we pride ourselves on collaborating with companies and brands to make a big difference within the community and amongst young people. If you would like to partner with us and collaborate on the next Creative Digital Media Programme, or want more information on our other initiatives, please send us an email.
If you are a young person and are interested in getting involved in our programmes, please register here ->
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