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Description
Planet G(reece) is an original educational initiative that addresses the lack of adequate, alternative and equal-opportunity professional orientation programs for Greek and immigrant teenagers. The program aims to widen their professional horizons by steering them towards less commonly explored fields in order to promote collaboration between kids of different nationalities and identities and offer training under a series of mentors. The ultimate goal is social integration and a stimulating introduction to the local job market. The program includes 5 audiovisual workshops, using documentary filmmaking as the main tool, which will admit a total of 120 teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 (50% Greek - 50% immigrants). Under the guidance of artists and well-established professionals, the participants will get up close and personal with different fields and career trajectories and acquire specific audiovisual skills, equal parts artistic and technology-oriented. The 5 workshops will result in 5 documentaries, which will screen in a one-day festival. The last component of the program is an online portal, which will host all five documentary shorts, along with detailed manuals on how to organize and recreate them. The portal will be open to the public and will specifically target educators, parents, schools and other NGOs through a targeted campaign. The intention of the organisation is to turn this portal into an innovative educational tool that will guarantee the sustainability of the program and multiply the number of beneficiaries. Exile Room will execute the entire project and will make audiovisual equipment available to other organizations that wish to recreate the experience on a first come, first served basis.
Summary of project results
The project aimed to address the following challenges:
- Social Integration of Vulnerable Groups: Vulnerable adolescents, particularly those from migrant, refugee, or marginalized backgrounds, face challenges in social integration, often feeling isolated or excluded from the broader society.
- Limited Access to Vocational Guidance: Many adolescents from vulnerable backgrounds lack access to vocational training and educational opportunities that provide skills for future employment, particularly in creative fields like media and arts.
- Cultural and Social Divide: The project sought to bridge the gap between vulnerable and non-vulnerable groups, facilitating collaboration and fostering mutual understanding in a safe and supportive environment.
The project implemented the following activities:
Workshops: Five cycles of workshops were held, focusing on different aspects of the audiovisual sector:
- Doc & Animation: Exploring documentary filmmaking and animation creation.
- Doc & Activism: Learning about the intersection of documentary filmmaking and social activism.
- Doc & Sound: Introducing sound recording and its role in documentary production.
- Doc & Graphic Design: Covering graphic design and its integration with documentary filmmaking.
- Doc & Journalism: Focusing on the relationship between documentary filmmaking and journalism.
Participant Engagement: A total of 104 adolescents participated, 62 of whom were from vulnerable groups (children of migrants, refugees). Participants worked with professional trainers and equipment to produce their own audiovisual content.
Collaborations with NGOs: The project collaborated with several organizations, such as Metadrasi, Melissa, and the Network for Children''s Rights, to find participants and maintain steady communication, especially with underage participants. These partnerships were crucial for the project''s success.
Documentary Production: Each workshop resulted in a short documentary produced by the participants, showcasing both the educational process and the work they produced. These videos were edited and presented as a final product highlighting the participants'' achievements.
The project achieved the following results:
Beneficiaries: The primary beneficiaries were 104 adolescents (13-19 years old), with 62 from vulnerable backgrounds (migrants, refugees), and 42 from non-vulnerable backgrounds (children of Greeks). These participants gained significant exposure to various artistic and technical disciplines.
Key Outcomes:
- Social Integration: The project successfully facilitated collaboration between vulnerable and non-vulnerable adolescents, promoting social integration in a safe environment.
- Vocational Guidance: Participants gained hands-on experience in several creative fields, including documentary filmmaking, animation, sound recording, journalism, and graphic design. They were introduced to tools such as professional cameras and mobile phones for creating audiovisual content.
- Collaboration with NGOs: The project strengthened its connections with key organizations, fostering a sense of community and opening doors for future partnerships and collaborations.
- Skill Development: Adolescents learned valuable skills in the audiovisual sector, including the technical aspects of filmmaking and content creation. They also had the opportunity to work with professional equipment and trainers, which would be rare in conventional education systems.
Impact: The project empowered vulnerable adolescents by providing them with creative and technical skills that opened new avenues for personal and professional development. It helped bridge the gap between different social groups, fostering integration and mutual understanding. Additionally, it exposed participants to fields in the audiovisual industry, providing vocational guidance that could have long-term benefits for their future career opportunities. The collaboration with NGOs and the production of short documentaries also allowed the project to raise awareness and engage the broader community in the participants'' work.