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BAFTA and Media Trust Youth Mentoring Programme into 2011

19 January 2011
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The RBS group supports BAFTA and Media Trust Youth Mentoring Programme into 2011 three new projects are launched in Scotland.

The BAFTA and Media Trust Youth Mentoring Programme, which is supported by the RBS group and launched in Scotland in October last year, has matched BAFTA mentors to three exciting new youth-led media projects in the Glasgow area. The projects will get under way later this month.

The first will see producer/director Angus Dixon working with a group of young people on a film about Fuse Youth Café Glasgow and its history. BAFTA mentor Karen O’Hare will begin working with six young people with Spina Bifida on a short film project for the Scottish Spina Bifida Association. Also, as part of the Glasgow Youth Film Festival on February 14th and 15th, Karen O’Hare will be joining screenwriters Jerry Brannigan and John McShane to deliver workshops to groups of young people at the Glasgow Film Theatre, Castlemilk Youth Complex and The Arches, where mentors from Raise The Roof Productions will also be hosting a special production master class.

As well as the new projects, the BAFTA and Media Trust Youth Mentoring Programme will continue working with The Prince’s Trust and Fairbridge, both of which benefited greatly from mentoring support last year.

In 2010, as part of The Prince’s Trust ‘Get Started In Media’ course at Glasgow Media Access Centre (GMAC), Sarah Walmsley, Creative Director of Raise The Roof Productions gave a talk to a group of young people on working in the industry. Both the course leader from GMAC and The Princes Trust youth leader commented on the extra dimension Sarah brought to the course, enabling the young people to hear directly what potential avenues could be available to them. “I was really impressed with the attitude and enthusiasm of the young people on the scheme” Sarah commented. “They were genuinely keen to learn and had all prepared for the session. Several of them have been in touch since looking for work experience, which I hope we’ll be able to help with.” And help she has, with one young person already set to spend two weeks at the production company, which is co-owned by TV presenters Kirstie Allsop and Phil Spencer (Location, Location, Location).

The support of the Youth Mentoring Programme also meant that Fairbridge, a national charity which helps young disadvantaged people gain skills needed to change their lives, was able to continue with its ‘It’s Behind You’ pantomime project in December, despite recent budget cuts. Writer/director Alan de Pellette helped 12 young people to script, perform and film the show.

BAFTA will be hosting a showcase event for all participants of the Youth Mentoring Programme in Glasgow in March.

Anne Morrison, Chair of BAFTA’s Learning & Events Committee, says: ‘We are delighted that BAFTA has been able to support such a range of youth organisations in Glasgow. It is gratifying to see the young people benefiting from having a BAFTA mentor. We are grateful for the assistance of RBS who, together with our partners at Media Trust, have helped to make this possible.’

BAFTA partners on the Youth Mentoring Programme with Media Trust, a national communications charity that works with media organisations and charities to enhance their communications and enable communities to find their voice and make it heard.

The BAFTA and Media Trust Youth Mentoring Programme in Scotland is supported by the RBS group.

For further press information please contact Olivia Jarvis at Emfoundation:
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 020 7247 4171

Notes for Editors:

About BAFTA:

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is an independent charity that supports, develops and promotes the art forms of the moving image by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners and benefiting the public. In addition to its Awards ceremonies, BAFTA has a year-round Learning & Events programme that offers unique access to some of the world’s most inspiring talent through workshops, masterclasses, lectures and mentoring schemes, connecting with audiences of all ages and backgrounds across the UK. BAFTA relies on income from membership subscriptions, individual donations, trusts, foundations and corporate partnerships to support its ongoing outreach work. For further information, visit www.bafta.org.

About Media Trust:

Media Trust owns and runs Community Channel. We are a national charity that believes everyone should have a voice and the opportunity to be heard. We work with media organisations and charities to enhance their communications and enable communities to find their voice. Media Trust corporate members are BBC, Channel 4, Daily Mail and General Trust plc, Guardian Media Group, IPC Media, ITV plc, LIVING TV Group, MTV Networks UK & Ireland, News International, OMD, Sky, Warner Bros. Go to: www.mediatrust.org

Media Trust’s Youth Mentoring Scheme encourages media professionals – from filmmakers to journalists - to volunteer their time and skills to support disadvantaged young people working on media projects. The projects can range from making a film or radio production to producing a newsletter, magazine or website. The scheme, funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, has supported more than 1,500 people, aged from 13 to 25, since it started in 2007.