Top Media Companies Sign Up To Media Trust’s Innovative Youth Mentoring SchemeMediatrust writes….Media Trust has extended its services with the launch of a unique Youth Mentoring initiative, funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport(DCMS). The Youth Mentoring initiative, launched on 28th February, is the first of its kind in England and will bring together media professionals and young people aged 14-25 at risk of anti-social behaviour to work together on specific projects.
Tessa Jowell, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Andy Duncan, Chairman of Media Trust and Chief Executive of Channel 4 and Robert Thomson, Editor of The Times launched the initiative at ITV. High profile media companies including BSkyB, ITV, BBC, Emap, Channel 4, Turner, Disney Channel UK, Warner Brothers, IPC Media, AOL and The Times have already joined up to the scheme, pledging to promote it among their staff and drive mentor sign-ups.
Organisations working with young people at risk are naturally placed to act as the gateway reaching this group and spreading the word about the Youth Mentoring opportunity. Barnardo’s, Foyer, The Prince’s Trust, YMCA England, Crime Concern, YCTV, Fairbridge, Dalston Youth Project, Live Magazine and UK Youth are among those already committed to the scheme.
The unique initiative will give young people access to a role model who will be able to offer a range of support including personal advice, encouragement, industry insights and guidance on specific projects. The vision of the initiative is to develop the skills and employability of young people and give them the chance to change their lives in a positive way.
Unlike many other mentoring schemes, Youth Mentoring will offer a “pick ‘n’ mix� range of programmes for mentors to choose from, including one to one and group mentoring with the option of a short or long term commitment. Youth Mentoring is open to anyone in the media industry, regardless of company, job title or department. All mentors will receive training before embarking on the programme.
Andy Duncan, Chairman of Media Trust said, “Media Trust’s Youth Mentoring is a fantastic way for the media industry to reach out to young people and ultimately help them to change the direction of their lives. I personally will be encouraging staff at Channel 4 to dedicate some time to this initiative, which will be enormously rewarding for both the mentor and the mentee.�
Robert Thomson, Editor, The Times said, “The Times is proud to be associated with Media Trust’s Youth Mentoring initiative. Those of us who are privileged to work in the media industry know that it is a creative, intelligent industry that has the ability to inspire and educate. We should seize this opportunity to work with young people to help them make informed decisions about their choice of career and to encourage people to find out more about what our industry has to offer.�
The initiative, funded by the DCMS, is part of the Government’s Respect Action Plan, aimed at tackling anti-social behaviour and creating a modern culture of respect. Youth Mentoring will initially concentrate on 14 key areas in England.
Tessa Jowell, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport said, “This initiative will allow professionals across the whole media landscape to demonstrate how much this industry has to offer. But more than that, the mentors will be helping young people to find a new passion, something that will rekindle their sense of self confidence and self worth. And with the right support some of these young people will end up being the journalists, broadcasters and technicians of tomorrow.�
Youth Mentoring will sit alongside Media Trust’s existing services, including Media Matching, where media professionals are matched with charities to provide pro-bono or low-cost communications support. The launch of Youth Mentoring coincided with an event to thank Media Trust’s bank of media volunteers.
