 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
"I feel that the Fellowship program provides a connective bridge between the workforce and school. I am developing skills and gaining insights that I did not acquire in school and that will help me to become a better editor."- Pam Lama, 2009 Fellow in Editing
While there are number of exciting youth media programs in the U.S. that provide young people with an opportunity to make videos, none couple this skill-building with the education and support required for broad-based distribution. None take place within an organization that has received over 45 million online views.
Now in its fourth year, Brave New Foundation's Media Diversity Fellowship gives voice to the issues and experiences of underrepresented communities. This goal is accomplished by:
- Training low-income young people of color in new media practices
- Providing them with hands-on experience in new media productions and distribution
- Giving them the opportunity to broadcast their perspectives and concerns
- Placing them with social justice organizations where they can bring diversity and amplify issues
Brave New Foundation's Fellowship Program has already provided 16 young people of color with a unique opportunity to work at a cutting edge social media production company -- to learn and use new media production skills and tools, create persuasive progressive content, share it with a large, growing and engaged audience, garner mainstream earned media coverage for complex social issues, and apply those career skills long-term.
Team Work and Hands-On Training
Each Fellow is assigned to a specific department: Marketing and Distribution, Brave New Studios, Production and Post-Production. They work directly on BNF issue campaigns that speak to underserved communities of color and the public at large. Working with experienced staff, Fellows learn teamwork, production and post skills, explore new methods of outreach and organizing, and acquire valuable experience in the non-profit sector. In addition, as part of the program-culminating Institute Intensive, BNF Fellows produce their own online video. In doing so, they practice technical production and post-production skills such as research, camera, sound, lighting, composition, Final Cut Pro, and media management.
Accomplishments and Testimonials
In 2009, the Fellows have done everything from creating an educational lecture series called "How to Build a Grassroots Media Campaign" to producing In Their Boots to conducting research for Rethink Afghanistan.
In 2008, with BNF's support, the Fellows were an integral part of launching two exciting online shows, Meet the Bloggers and In Their Boots.
In 2007, with BNF's support, Fellows produced, directed, shot and edited their own video on immigration reform. This video became A Dream Deferred, focusing on stories told by students about their struggles of being undocumented, which brought a different voice to the immigration reform debate.
Here are two of our past BNF Fellows, on their experiences:
"Being a part of this program was wonderful because I was really given the opportunity to show what I could do and get involved in many aspects of the production, not just working on the story team but being allowed to shoot and cut a special feature for the DVD-- things I would never have been able to do at a big flashy studio. When production wrapped I moved on to working on outreach for the film, which was another great learning opportunity. I have applied the knowledge I gained from this program to all of the projects I've been involved with since. I also developed friendships and made connections with people who I have continued to work with or have helped me find work on other projects." - Kim Huynh
"I learned something new and valuable everyday and in turn was allowed and trusted to apply this knowledge to the work that BNF was doing. I was being depended on to help create an important voice for those who had not been heard before. I learned from the program that the individual can make a difference, that the masses can cause change...I am currently working with several organizations whose purpose is the betterment of our world. Empowerment Works, L.E.A.F., and WeEarth." - Anne Njoroge
|
