The Ministry of Youth celebrated the achievements of a new group of young digital content creators who recently completed a digital media programme.
A graduation ceremony held at the Ministry’s headquarters in Haggatt Hall, St. Michael, which was also the location for the five-week programme entitled “Video 246 Project”, was facilitated by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment, and UNICEF.
The event saw participants showcasing their talents with one-minute videos they produced during the programme.
Addressing the participants at the ceremony, Minister Charles Griffith highlighted the importance of forming lasting friendships among the youth. He also recognised the outstanding participants and facilitators, and lauded the partnership with UNICEF that made the programme possible.
Minister Griffith expressed gratitude towards UNICEF for its invaluable partnership, highlighting how it had enabled the Ministry to empower young individuals with digital skills. Alluding to work done by the Caribbean Broadcast Corporation that he recognised as high quality, he stressed: “Digital is the next frontier.”
Mr. Griffith urged the programme graduates to not only hone their skills but also make a meaningful impact on society. Encouraging them to use their new-found abilities to share stories, particularly those of individuals who often go unheard, he stated: “I refer to them as human interest stories, and I need for you to look for them and be able to share the stories of those persons who don’t have a voice because then you could become the voice for those persons. Shine some light where there is darkness with your videos.”
Aiden Rawlins one of the twenty-three participants who completed the project, noted, “Over the past few weeks we’ve embarked on a creative adventure that challenged us to condense our thoughts, ideas and emotions into just one minute of captivating video content. Each of us took a small but significant step towards expressing our unique perspectives and story-telling abilities.”
Participants were awarded for their efforts in the following categories: Most Punctual, Deandra Harewood; Most Improved, Azari Jones; Most Creative Female, Kibibi Lee; Most Creative Male, Demarcus Morris; Best Video, Khalyka Catwell and the Facilitators Award, Best Script, Demarcus Morris.
All videos will be entered into the UNICEF one-minute video challenge.