Youth Active Media is a neighbourhood-based videography initiative where youth from priority neighbourhoods across Ottawa have the opportunity to learn the art of filmmaking through creating short films about community issues that matter to them.

Working with a team of facilitators, young people learn how to make videos using the basics; storyboarding, framing, lighting, sound, and editing. The end result is a group of youth who understand the significance of their own voice and sharing it through an increasingly important medium.

The Youth Active Media program uses a mentorship model in which eligible youth participants who excelled as leaders and demonstrated skills in the filmmaking process are hired as paid program leaders, mentoring new participants in subsequent groups. Youth participants can also be hired to create videos for other organizations – how cool is that!

YAM has been running in partnership with the Social Planning Council for four years Beginning with a three year Ontario Trillium Foundation grant, it won the New Leaf Community Challenge to combat youth unemployment.