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 support systems and the extra-curricular and leadership opportunities that can help to teach and reaffirm technology, learning and communication skills. Our programs help young people develop their artistic talent while providing them with advanced, industry-standard training in new media and helping them develop the “soft” skills necessary to successfully collaborate on and produce a high-quality creative product. Ultimately, the goal of BAVC’s pathway model is to help youth to transition into formal education and employment.
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.
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.
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.
BAVC’s Next Gen Programs currently serve 800 young people a year 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. Click on a program to learn more:
Digital Pathways: An after-school digital media training program with internship opportunities and job skills development.
BUMP Records: A music performance, production and social entrepreneurship program for young adults.
The Factory: An advanced video production collective for young filmmakers.
Check out some of the research that informs BAVC’s youth programming:
Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture by Henry Jenkins
Teen Video Games and Civics by PEW Internet & American Life Project
Patnership for 21st Century Skills
Youth Programs 
