Welcome to Cohort 3 of the 2020 Adobe Creativity Grants!
We are excited to introduce the third and final cohort of the 2020 Adobe Project Grant! These nine creative youth organizations have utilized the new virtual program structure to expand their networks, reaching new young creatives and working with industry professionals which otherwise wouldn’t have been possible. These organizations are leading the way on how we can revamp programming and adapt to this new virtual delivery system while still inspiring creatives among the next generation.
Meet the nine new organization grantees below, and learn how they are continuing to create pathways for equitable access to creative education, careers, and industry as this pandemic continues to alter daily life:
Boys & Girls Club of Green Bay’s (Wisconsin, USA) Creative Crew will be virtually connecting to learn how to use digital media as a vehicle for self-expression, social impact, and the development of career experience by participation in their local creative economy. By using project-based learning pedagogy, the young creatives will receive training on Adobe Creative Cloud and how they can use creativity as an outlet for self-expression, while working closely with teaching artists and mentors. The participants will also receive design requests from local nonprofits for mini-media projects through which they will learn new workforce skills.
Buffalo Media Resources Inc. (New York, USA), aka Squeaky Wheel Film & Media Art Center, responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by incorporating Mozilla’s VR apps Hubs and Spoke to support the virtual delivery of their Saturday Cafe program. This VR space is providing young creatives with alternative media tools for self expression and creative exploration. This revamp now allows the program to be offered to young creatives beyond the Buffalo, New York, region. Every week, advanced young creatives are using these VR environments to connect with their peers, media mentors, guest teaching artists, and the artist in residence as they continue to learn how to use creativity for self- expression and develop skills and confidence with new media technology.
Haiti Ocean Project (Haiti) is working with young creatives to produce mini-documentaries on marine conservation and protection of Haiti’s endangered marine species. The participants will be divided into teams to focus on a different marine species and a different subject matter relating to ocean conservation in their waters. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the participants will connect virtually and use archival footage to learn post-production skills to create these documentaries. They will also write scripts and narrate in Creole to share their own viewpoints. These documentaries will be shared with their local community and beyond to show the value of Haiti’s ocean and marine life, and the importance of marine conservation around the globe.
JAYU Festival Inc.’s (Toronto, Canada) iAM program brings together young creatives from diverse backgrounds to connect in deep meaningful ways as they learn skills that teach them to use digital media as a tool for positive social change. This year, the iAM Media program will be delivered virtually, where young creatives will be provided with resources and guidance to use their mobile devices to shoot photography and films and create digital collages. Weekly virtual workshops will connect iAM youth creatives to artist mentors who facilitate conversations about social justice, inspire the creative confidence to share stories through art, and encourage a healthy and positive outlet for self-expression.
Las Fotos Project (California, USA) Community Arts Programming offers three pathways of learning: Está Soy Yo (ESY), Digital Promotoras, and CEO (Creative Entrepreneurship Opportunities). These three streams of programming support young creatives with their self-empowerment journey as an artist, enhance youth agency in the community, and teach workforce skills. Additionally they teach how young creatives can leverage their technical photography skills for both personal expression and professional work opportunities. Through online lessons, weekly group check-ins, and one-on-one check-ins with media mentors, these young creatives are continuing to learn, explore, research, and engage in self-expression through photography to become advocates and storytellers for their local communities.
Salt Lake City Prayasam’s (Kolkata, India) project PERIOD is using digital media tools to bring change in the attitude and outlook towards menstruation and gender diversity in their local community. The young creatives will create short films, podcasts and photo stories to address the issue of menstruation. Using online platforms, like WhatsApp, and instructional videos, such as White Board animation videos, the young participants are connecting on a weekly basis to receive resources, digital media skills training, and guidance on their media pieces. The media pieces will be showcased in a year end exhibition to the local community.
SAY Sí’s (Texas, USA) Quaranteen Time Capsule project consists of a transmedia online platform that focuses on the theme of home and community. With everyone staying at home, young creatives are taking this opportunity to reflect on their home environments, their family dynamics, and all the elements that make their lives unique through art. Audio recordings, short 360° video recordings, photography, digital illustrations, comics, animations, monologues, and digital content will provide an extensive look into how COVID-19 is being experienced by the youth in their community and will capture this unique time in history.
StoryCenter (California, USA) is partnering with Handy in Florida on The Perspective: Youth Media Project which will incorporate three components: a PhotoVoice project, Digital Storytelling, and a virtual showcase. Through video calls and Google Docs, the young creatives will receive technical and creative photography and videography training, including ethical photography practices, and take part in online digital storytelling workshops. Throughout these sessions, creatives will also be supported in developing and implementing a social media and advocacy plan to share their work in a campaign to educate the public on and advocate for foster youth. These media pieces will be showcased in a culminating virtual exhibition.
Urgent Inc.’s (Florida, USA) Film Arts & Culture Coding Entrepreneurship (FACE) Youth Employment and Training Program is designed to empower young creatives with tools, training, resources, and opportunities to learn workplace skills so that they are equipped to take their creative career onto the next level. Over 8 weeks, the young creatives from the FACE program will connect for their virtual internships and work closely with industry professionals, teaching artists and entrepreneurs to produce professional grade work products that will be showcased at a series of virtual events including the annual Youth Economic Development Conference (YEDC), Miami 4 Social Change Youth Film Festival and FACE summer intern expo.
TakingITGlobal is pleased to be partnering with Adobe to manage the 2020 Adobe Creativity Grants. Follow along on the journey of these creative youth organizations over the next several months by using #TIGcreates to learn more about project highlights and to see the media created by their young creatives!
