JAMP empowers youth through film
Published:Sunday | February 7, 2021 | 12:27 AMDavid Salmon - Contributor
The Jamaica Account-ability Meter Portal (JAMP) has continued its mandate of promoting good governance through innovative methods. Recently, the organisation embarked on teaching young people the importance of responsible public financial management, the role of Parliament, constitutional reform and the annual budget process.
JAMP’s just-concluded workshops, held on January 18 and 19, provided the opportunity for 16 young people to learn about these topics while incorporating their previous knowledge of film taught by The University of the West Indies.
Executive director of JAMP, Jeanette Calder, expounded that, “This was a programme that the university was doing, founded by Dr Ian Boxill, where they were teaching inner-city youth how to become film-makers, which was one way of empowering them.”
Calder explained that upon seeing their graduation ceremony in 2018 after the five-month instruction process, she was “blown away” by the quality of work produced by these young people in such a short time.
By the time JAMP was launched in 2019, she was determined to facilitate learning through the film medium. Thus, after receiving funding from the United States Embassy in Kingston, the recent workshop represented the culmination of an idea long in the making.
“This workshop is about youth strengthening public stewardship and accountability through the creative arts. Previously, they would have gone through the UWI Community Film Project course. So we are taking these graduates and we are raising their technical competence in order to make them more marketable,” Calder noted.
“After we sensitise the young people, they will take that information and produce films that JAMP will utilise as communication tools to speak to other citizens, particularly young people.”
HOW GOVERNMENT WORKS
Using a computer game, Calder also aimed to provide new ways for youths to appreciate the role of government. On the second day of the workshop, participants were able to apply what they learned while playing the city-building simulation game, SimCity 4.
“Participants got a handout where they were instructed to design a new town that was already zoned, with the goal being to attract residents. Participants were then divided into teams where they elected a mayor and town advisers,” she explained.
By the end of the session, teams were assessed on metrics, including how many persons moved into the city, how many jobs were generated, and whether there were any outstanding complaints from citizens.
The second half of the project will focus on film-making, as the UWI Community Film Project team will guide participants on how to do story development.
Calder told The Sunday Gleaner, “Over the next three months, they are going to create their stories with the assistance of instructors based on the information they have learned from the workshop. Then they will go into shooting, casting, directing and editing. Afterwards, we will have a premiere and disseminate their films with the view to stimulate a conversation outside of the abstract of how government works.”