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About
Dramatic shifts in technology, politics, economics and demographics are radically changing the way we live and work. Today’s youth will spend their adult lives in a multitasking, complex, technology driven and diverse environment. Without so-called 21st Century skills (information, technology and communication skills, thinking and problem-solving skills, and interpersonal and self-directional skills), young people will be unable to participate in our new communities and economies.
BAVC’s Next Generation programs offer a flexible pathway for youth who may lack parental support, school support, and the extra-curricular and leadership opportunities that can help to teach and reaffirm learning and communication skills. Our programs help young people develop their artistic talent and provide them with advanced, industry-standard training in new media while helping them develop life skills to successfully collaborate on and produce a high-quality creative product.
At the heart of BAVC’s youth programming is the belief that when given the chance to express themselves creatively through digital media, young people become engaged makers of media and community members. They bond to peer networks, mentors, and community members. They gain the confidence, skills and passion to imagine and pursue a positive future for themselves. And they become part of larger media conversations where their voices are desperately missing, and needed.
Through BAVC's "pathway" model, young people can be connected to BAVC
from one semester to eight years, choosing from multiple training tracks and attending classes in-school, after-school or both. If life challenges get in the way, they have multiple ways to return and re-engage in their training.
BAVC's Next Gen Programs currently serve 600 young people a week at 11 school and community-based sites in the East Bay and San Francisco where we work with students representing three counties and 48 public high schools.
BAVC’s work with young people is motivated by the desire to empower diverse voices in media and to help span the growing participation gap amongst diverse communities.
Want to check out the research that is informing BAVC’s work
with young people?
Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century by Henry Jenkins
Partnership for 21st Century Skills
BAVC's Next Gen programming currently includes:
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