The Vitec Group plc and Richmond Theatre Trust announce a new CSR partnership to jointly run "Young Filmmakers Courses"
The Vitec Group plc today announces a Corporate & Social Responsibility Partnership ("CSR") with the Richmond Theatre Trust ("RTT"), and independent charitable trust engaging with people leaving in the local community.
This CSR partnership aims to reach one local teenager who has faced hardship or marginalisation, and typically not had access to the creative arts, for every employee at Vitec's Richmond Head Office. Each young person will take part in a four-day filmmaking course which results in an Arts Award Qualification. The aim of the partnership is to give teenagers new life skills and build their confidence in the creative arts.
There is a high level of interest in learning more about filmmaking and photography in Richmond and the surrounding boroughs. 100% of local senior schools offer filmmaking or photography courses in some capacity but only 21% offer a dedicated GSCE. The Richmond Young Filmakers Course provides a rare opportunity for these young people to discover industry insights and to work with market-leading, industry-standard Vitec equipmet. Kit such as the JOBY GorillaPod Mobile Rig will set students up to continue to create their own content once they've successfully completed the course.
The partnership will run for an initial two-yer period with the first phase in February 2020 at the Richmond Theater. This coincides with the Theatre's 120th anniversary celebrations, ensuring a wealth of historical and contemporary stimuli available to inspire participants' films. Participants will be nominated through partnerships with local organisations or directly with the support of a referring adult. More information and application forms can be found on the RTT website.
Stephen Bird, Group Chief Executive, commented:
"I'm really delighted to enter into this partnership with RTT and look forward to seeing what the students can create. My aim is for Vitec to positively impact one young person who has faced hardship or marginalisation for every Vitec employee in the communities in which we operate."
Maria Shury-Smith, Creative Learning and Community Partnerships Officer, commented:
"RTT is particularly excited to be working with The Vitec Group on the Richmond Young Filmmakers Course as it draws on Richmond Theatre's long history of film whilst providing young people with cutting edge careers insights and equipment."