Thursday, January 19, 2012

Villa Cross Media (VXM) is a new CSV project based in Ipswich that will be working to give young people a chance to regain their voice within the media.

VXM looks to challenge the stigma our young people face by working closely with communities and local businesses to inspire youth engagement. The VXM project is European funded to support today’s youth with achieving their full potential.

Using media, VXM plans to support 16-25 year olds (50% of whom will be young women) who are not accessing education, employment or training. The project intends to provide opportunities for developing practical skills which can be used to increase employability and life experience, improving self-esteem, giving young people the chance to broaden their horizons where traditional routes may have failed.

“I believe that there is too much emphasis in media on the negative stereotypes of young people.” Curtis Blanc

VXM has developed a focus group of young volunteers who will lead the project and will be trained in mentoring and media production. They will be using their own life experiences to draw parallels and connect with participants who may be struggling with improving their life potential, whilst building their own skills and confidence.

Recent statistics show that nationally 19.2% of 16-24 year olds are currently unemployed (Department for Education, 2011). VXM aims to combat unemployment by offering bespoke media education in the hope of improving media literacy. Creative industries, such as video, music, TV and radio, is one of eight sectors that have been identified by Suffolk’s Local Economic Assessment (State of Suffolk Report, 2011) as a sector where future growth is likely to happen.

“We want to prove that young people are an asset to this society” Amy Webb

Working with project partners both in the UK and Europe we will share our achievements in all areas of media, from fashion and music production to film, photography and journalism. The project will be launching on the 2^nd of February 2012 with a massive event to showcase all that we’re offering, with live performances from young people including singers, hip hop dancers and a fashion catwalk of both local and high street designers. To get involved or to find out more information on the project please contact Claudia Parrino on (01473) 418034 or cparrino@csv.org.uk.

Please pass it on to other organisations. Many thanks for your support!