Video Program Gives Youth View of Future

Sixteen young Nova Scotians will soon have an opportunity to view their future through the lens of a camera.

This spring, they'll be taking part in Nova Scotia First Works, an eight-week program in film and video production designed for those between the ages of 17 and 25 who are out of school and unemployed, but keen to gain production experience and personal skills for the workplace. The program's first sessions begin March 20 for youth from the Shelburne and Sydney areas.

The Nova Scotia Film Development Corp. is organizing and administering the $211,000 program. Almost half of the cost will be in-kind support such as soundstage space, equipment, curriculum development and administrative services.

"What First Works recognizes is that a key to reducing youth unemployment is to expand and promote opportunities for entering the workplace," said Economic Development Minister Gordon Balser. "The program takes it a step farther and focuses on creative young people who have an interest in a particular field and a desire to succeed in that field, and then opens the door a little for them. And not just any door, but a door to an industry that is booming in this province."

Nova Scotia's film and television production activity set a new high in the first nine months of the current fiscal year. Figures show the industry contributed a record $130 million to the economy from April 1 to Dec. 31, 1999 a 9.2 per cent increase over the total $119 million recorded for fiscal 1998-99, itself a record-breaking year.

Nova Scotia First Works combines a hands-on industry-focused film and video production curriculum developed by the Department of Education and a program for work-readiness and leadership development. Sydney and Shelburne were chosen as pilot locations because of the soundstages in those communities.

Over the two-month program, eight participants in each community will be partnered with a filmmaker and work-readiness program facilitator. Participants will experience a work-world model within which they will write, plan, shoot and edit a video as a team.

The two videos will be screened at Input 2000, an international conference of public broadcasters and independent producers to be held in Halifax in May. The conference will be an opportunity for First Works participants to witness the global scope of television production and to meet some of the more than 1,000 delegates from across the country and around the world.

The First Works pilot was timed to coincide with the Input 2000 conference so participants can take part and benefit. But its impact is expected to last long after the international delegates have packed up.

Ann MacKenzie, CEO of the film development corporation, said success of the first sessions in Sydney and Shelburne promises to lead to the program's expansion elsewhere in the province and, more importantly, increased opportunities for youth to enter the workforce and be part of the dynamic film industry.

"We're particularly excited about this project because it allows our youth to channel their energies into a creative field, resulting in a positive contribution to their communities," said Ms. MacKenzie.

As film and television production expands in Shelburne and Cape Breton, and opportunities for employment increase across the province, First Works participants will have taken the initial step, she said. They will have the experience necessary to apply to new training programs being launched around the province and will provide the basis for crew development and content development in their own communities.

Information on applying for First Works will be available through the media within the next two weeks.