Powerful Films Created by Talented Youth Celebrated at Adobe Youth Voices Live

·         Adobe Foundation completes eight years of its global initiative, Adobe Youth Voices, in India reaching over 99 sites

·         Announces invitation for AYV Scholarships 2014

New Delhi, India – February 13, 2014 – Adobe Youth Voices (AYV), the global initiative to ignite creative confidence in youth, celebrated the completion of eight successful years of the program in India by screening over 25 of 245 short films produced in 2013 by youth at an event held at the FICCI Auditorium in Delhi today. The films, varied in their formats and objectives, range from stop motion animations, documentaries, music videos, photo essays to public service announcements, and highlight issues like access to education, equality of the girl child, alcoholism, saving the environment and disability that are close to their hearts. Having faced many of these issues first hand, these youth use creativity to voice their thoughts and help generate larger awareness on such social topics.

AYV also announced the AYV Scholarship program for 2014 through which the Adobe Foundation provides support to the next generation of creative thinkers. This scholarship is open to students in their final year of high school or first year of post-secondary education who have been a part of the Adobe Youth Voices Program.  Applicants will be evaluated on a host of factors including academic achievement, potential in creative fields, commitment to advance global citizenship and social justice issues. The amount of the scholarship will be determined based on the financial need of the scholars to meet educational expenses and can be renewed for up to four years pending academic progress.

                    

Dr Naresh Gupta, Sr. Vice President, Print & Publishing Business & Managing Director, Adobe India said, “When technology is used to foster creativity and collaboration among youth and to enable them to express their views on topics important to them, learning becomes more relevant and the students are more engaged. They can explore their views in-depth, gain new insights and create work that can change their lives and the lives of others around them. Adobe Youth Voices gives young people the opportunity to build vital skills and express their unique perspectives on the world around them.”

Program Outcomes:

The Adobe Youth Voices program has been crafted to carefully respond to the needs of young people, educators and the communities they serve. Since its inception, AYV has engaged more than 150,000 youth and 5,000 educators in schools and out-of-school programs. In India, AYV works across 99 sites reaching over 3,700 children and 174 educators and has helped produce over 245 short films in the year 2013 alone. The program is currently operating in India through partnerships with The American India Foundation, Global Fund for Children and Taking IT Global and has reached out to about 11,200 youth across the nation since its inception. The program has received wide recognition from industry bodies like NASSCOM and Businessworld-FICCI CSR awards.

Youth Outcomes:

Technology and Life Skills: The program has imbibed the youth with creative confidence and basic information technology and media literacy skills. Working on Adobe tools like Adobe Photoshop, Premiere Elements and Adobe After Effects students at an early age are exposed to some of the leading multimedia tools used by professionals in the industry. Additionally, they are exposed to working collaboratively and are encouraged to apply critical thinking and problem solving tactics that help improve their communication skills.

Engagement in Learning: With the wide array of tools at their disposal there is an increased engagement and excitement from the youth for learning. They are able to understand the connection between their learning and its relevance to their life and future. For example, Sahil from Rani Dutta Arya Vidyalaya was a youth involved in this program as a student. Today he is a teacher helping other youth with this program.

Youth Development: The program plays a crucial role in the overall development of the youth instilling them with self-confidence, pride in their abilities, and hope for their future. Coming from underserved communities, they often assume that no one is listening to them. With this program they gain a stronger belief in themselves and the power of their creative voice.

Priyanka, a student with Literacy India who created a project entitled ‘Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin’ said, “This program has helped me not only learn multimedia skills but has also helped me share my story through this short film that I have made.”

Educator Outcomes:

Educators and mentors who work closely with the children have benefitted from an improved ability to foster creativity and engage youth in student-centered learning. They have been empowered to gain a deeper understanding of their students, their capabilities, and the issues that are important to them.

Bhuvana Sriram, Educator, DTEA School, commenting on the program said, “It is exciting to see how our students learn, develop and grow over the course of this program. They explore and find new ways of expressing themselves and their ideas through these short films. We are very happy to be a part of this program,”

Commenting on this collaboration with Adobe, Dr Hemanth Paul, Country Director, American India Foundation said, “The Adobe Youth Voices program is built on research showing that motivation and engagement are prerequisites for learning. Student-centered teaching makes connections to the real lives and everyday experiences of students. At the American India Foundation we are delighted to be Adobe's primary partner for the implementation of the AYV program. As we see the impact the program is making on the lives of children across schools in India we look forward to a continued association with Adobe on a larger scale."

About Adobe Youth Voices 

Adobe Youth Voices (AYV) is the Adobe Foundation’s global initiative to ignite creative confidence in youth by empowering them to find their voice and make it heard.  The youth involved in AYV spotlight the issues they care about by creating original media – a process that fosters their passion to make a difference while providing them with the creative skills essential for success in the world today. Through programs like AYV, and by increasing creativity in education, Adobe believes we will better equip young people to be the problem solvers, critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow. To learn more about AYV, its point of view on creativity in education and how you can be involved, please visit http://youthvoices.adobe.com/.

About the Adobe Foundation

The Adobe Foundation is a 501(c) (3) private foundation created and funded by Adobe Systems Incorporated to leverage human, technological and financial resources to drive social change and community improvements.

About American India Foundation

Founded in 2001, the American India Foundation (AIF) is dedicated to catalyzing economic and social change in India, and building a lasting bridge between the United States and India through collective philanthropy and strategic, innovative programming. AIF has positively impacted lives of more than 1.7 million marginalized individuals in India through programs in education, livelihoods, and public health while working in partnership with over 250 local NGO’s. For more information, visit www.aif.org

For more details on the AYV Scholarships - http://youthvoices.adobe.com/scholarships

The Adobe India community can connect with the Adobe team and other creative students directly on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/AdobeIndiaStudents or follow us on twitter @AdobeIndia

About Adobe Systems Incorporated

Adobe is changing the world through digital experiences. For more information, visit www.adobe.com/in.

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