A selection of films from the Comox Valley Art Gallery’s Youth Media Project will be showing on April 12 at the Rotary Hall in the Florence Filberg Centre. Photo supplied

A selection of films from the Comox Valley Art Gallery’s Youth Media Project will be showing on April 12 at the Rotary Hall in the Florence Filberg Centre. Photo supplied

Comox Valley Art Gallery holding a Youth Media Project reunion at the Sid

A screening event that features a juried collection of past and present short films made by local youth through the Comox Valley Art Gallery's Youth Media Project will be showing on Wednesday, May 15, at the Sid Williams Theatre.

A screening event that features a juried collection of past and present short films made by local youth through the Comox Valley Art Gallery’s Youth Media Project will be showing on Wednesday, May 15, at the Sid Williams Theatre.

See how youth are proposing solutions and getting us to re-imagine what is possible in the Comox Valley. The evening will open up with two songs from rap artists Maximum Gane and Native With Pride or NWP. This is a fun, free cinematic event. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the screening starts at 7.

The Comox Valley Art Gallery’s Youth Media Project uses digital media, creative facilitation and artistic collaboration as a framework for youth to share their stories through the creation of short independent films. Folks between the ages of 16-30 come and get paid a full-time minimum wage to learn concrete media and employability skills over a 13-week program.

RELATED: CVAG’S Youth Media Project screening films

Participants create one independent film and one film in collaboration with a small business or community organization that is doing sustainable work in the Valley. The folks who come through the program end up creating long-lasting connections not just with each other but with other community members and organizations in the Comox Valley.

Krista Tupper says “It’s been really cool to see where some of our films and film-makers have ended up! One of our past film-makers has received a large grant to document the Haida language, another video is being used as a teaching tool in universities about how to set up worker’s co-ops, while another is being used to educate parents about their kids who are living on the street. The stories are endless. Every film made has a potential impact somewhere. It’s just about finding where.” The screening is a partnership event between the Sid Williams Theatre and the Comox Valley Art Gallery’s Youth Media Project.

The CVAG YMP project partners with the Wachiay Friendship Centre, the Creative Employment Access Centre and Imagine Comox Valley.

For more details click on the Youth Media Project link at www.comoxvalleyartgallery.com. You can also visit the CVAG Youth Media Project Facebook page or call (250) 338-6211 for more information or if interested in applying for future programs.

Comox Valley Record