Mama Youth Project – www.mamayouthproject.org.uk
Programme Description:
Founded in 2005 Mama Youth is a production company that offers young adults from minority communities a chance to gain practical skills and means to have a strong chance of finding employment. Robert Clarke, the founder of Mama Youth, has a minority background and during his working life in the media was struck by the lack of diversity in media organisations. He took this experience and founded Mama Youth to actively promote diversity within the television industry.
The training offered is very hands on. Trainees are given roles such as production assistant, production manager, production coordinator, camera/lighting operator and location sound recorder. During their 4 to 6-week placement at Mama Youth the trainees are seen as and treated as work colleagues. They are given full responsibility of the job they are training to do under the watchful eye of a line manager. This practical experience is very valuable to future employers and puts the Mama Youth trainees on an equal footing with middle class students who have more access to higher education. It also gives them the confidence that they can contribute to society even if they do not follow a career in the media after finishing their training with Mama Youth.
During training the trainees produce a real television show that is distributed on DVD and broadcast on the Community Channel (Sky & Freeview), which is watched by over 30,000 viewers.
Mama Youth have built relationships with organisations working with the homeless, young offenders, asylum seekers, people with minor disabilities and single parents. Through these relationships a diverse group of trainees come to Mama Youth on a regular basis.
Challenge:
Continued funding and establishment of a training co-coordinator.
Solution:
Mama Youth aims to support staff through commercial activities and seeks income from within the media industry to continue training and producing talent from diverse backgrounds that the industry can employ.
Impact and Success Stories:
- New agreement with Endemol Productions, one of the biggest independent produc tion companies in the United Kingdom will see more Mama Youth trainees given jobs in their organisation. They have also committed to introducing the project to other large companies.
- 31% of Mama Youth trainees went on to careers in the media – none of them as runners (entry level) but in the jobs they were trained in at Mama Youth.
Quotes:
“I not only felt like I was doing a real job, I also felt that I was a valued member of the team.” Carla Bartley, previous trainee now working as a researcher for Twofour Broadcast.
“We have managed to change the lives of 27 young adults who had little hope of finding employment within the media industry. We have also helped give many moreyoung adults the confidence and realisation that they can contribute to society as they now know that they are employable.” Robert Clarke, Founder, Mama Youth.
