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Media skills for disadvantaged young people funded by Mediabox

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Media skills for disadvantaged young people funded by Mediabox

Tuesday, 09 March 2010 16:16

Tags: funding | media | young people involvement

A funding scheme, set up to help disadvantaged 13-19 year olds in England develop and produce creative media projects, is now open for applications. Mediabox gives disadvantaged young people the chance to create media projects about issues that matter to them, from film and journalism to digital media and campaigns.

Mid Mediabox, is a mid-level grant, open to established youth organisations - even if they are not experienced in delivering media projects to young people. The grant can be used to develop a new creative idea and/or to promote a completed youth-led media project to a wider audience.A spokesperson for Mid Mediabox said: "We enable young people to gain new skills, express themselves and get their voices heard."

Media courses and careers such as journalism are often viewed as elitist, due to the high training costs and lack of job opportunities affecting the industry. Disadvantaged young people suffer a number of barriers to accessing media education such as:

Being unable to access expensive equipment such as cameras and editing tools;
Less chance of having/making influential contacts to provide ease of access to work experience and job opportunities;
A slim chance of attending universities the biggest media organisations usually recruit from, e.g. Oxford or Cambridge;
No means of funding to pay for NCTJ or BJTC accreditation - the main certification for journalists, or for postgraduate media training courses;
A reduced chance of attending undergraduate courses providing media training;
Lack of knowledge about media training and skills and work experience placements; and
Financial restraints preventing ability to undertake work experience placements.

The scheme: a Department for Children, Schools and Families fund, gives disadvantaged 13-19 year olds living in England the opportunity to develop and produce creative media projects, using print, television, film, radio or online platforms.

Mid Mediabox is available to youth and media focused organisations with evidence of working positively with young people to provide opportunities, and develop creative ideas and lifelong skills in media production.Grants are available between £5,000 and £20,000, and previous projects supported by Mediabox include:

Kent Refugee Action Network which delivered a series of animation workshops to 20 young unaccompanied asylum seekers, and resulted in the production of four quality animation shorts illustrating different aspects of the journey of a young person to the UK; and
Media Mash Up which received funding to give young people from diverse backgrounds in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Milton Keynes the opportunity to develop skills in film, print, radio and mixed media.

Mediabox grants are intended to help young people who do not usually get opportunities to develop media skills and learn about possible careers in the media industry.The funders don't have a fixed idea of a ‘disadvantaged young person', but applicants are advised to have a clear plan for engaging excluded young people.They have the following suggestions to determine which young people are disadvantaged:

Young people excluded or at risk of exclusion from mainstream education;
Young people not in education, training or employment (NEET);
Young people with disabilities or mental health issues;
Young parents;
Young carers;
Young homeless;
Young people within the youth justice system;
Young asylum seekers or refugees;
Young people from BME communities;
looked after young people and care leavers; and
Young people from areas viewed by the Government to be economically disadvantaged.

Mediabox is a fund that offers disadvantaged 13-19 year olds (up to 25 if they have a disability) the opportunity to create their own media projects. They enable young people to gain new skills, express themselves and express themselves creatively.

In the current economic climate and particularly considering the popularity of careers in the media industry, it is more important than ever for young people to gain proper communication skills and relevant training if they are to be considered for such jobs in the future. This training is not readily accessible to disadvantaged young people, and therefore funding such as that provided by Mediabox is essential for reducing the inequalities they will inevitably face if they choose a career in the media.

Mediabox offer a variety of grants ranging from £500 to £40,000 for the creation of youth-led media projects.Hundreds of organisations across England have already benefited from the scheme, impacting the lives of thousands of young people from a variety of backgrounds.

Mid Mediabox only accepts applications for grants between £5,000 and £20,000, with up to 10% on capital, and applications with incorrect budgets will be rejected. Work must be thoroughly devised and led by disadvantaged young people, involving them entirely in the creative process, a core value of myplace.

The deadline for applications, which must be made through the website at www.media-box.co.uk, is the 8th April 2010. The website guides the user through the application process after choosing ‘yes' to the ‘looking for funding' option available as soon as the website is opened.

Mediabox Coordinators, based in each of the English regions, are on hand to provide advice and pre-application support to all new and existing applicants.

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