July 2014 - Issue 11
Stijn Hens: BMX is My Passion
Eva Vaes: Self-Employed Illustrator Swelvet: That’s Awesome Villa Cross Media:
ISSUE
Cross Border Edition
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Contents
Issue 11
July 2014 Issue 11
Contributors VXM Project Coordinator Darren Mann
Project Officer Justina Raistrick
Youth Engagement Officers
Contents
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BMX is My Passion: Belgian BMX Champion Stijn Hens
Ashley Rose Sharna Michael
Designer / Editor Shannon Noy
Writers
Ben Driver Eline Van Lancker Jana Goyvaerts Lynn Baes
Translators Lynn Baes
Photo / Illstration Credits
Eva Vaes:
Self-Employed Illustrator
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Angela Fish VTM Facebook Eva Vaes Sarah Goyens
VXM promotes media education, wisdom, participation, production and dissemination initiatives targeted at 16 to 25 year olds, focusing particularly on cultural identity.
Thank You!
Swelvet:
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That’s Awesome
VxM: Cross B
Passion
BMX is My ch. Hens is definitely one to wat Belgian BMX Champion Stijn
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On the Cover July 2014 - Issue 11
Renday Vous only use ambitious rappers who not Zigsag and Intifada are two but also it see they as s on the world music to express their view . nge cha te crea and ire insp understand how music can
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Driver
IO Radios’ Ben io? Assistant Manager for IO Rad What are the passions of the
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Eva Vaes: Self-Employed Illustrator
Illustrator Eva Vaes: Self-Employed r dreams?
A stable job or following you
Swelvet: That’s Awesome Villa Cross Media:
Sharna Michael
VxM project lved at CSV Clubhouse and At 22, she is currently invo er. offic t as a Youth Engagemen
Van Laere Let’s Make Radio: Sander nteering at of these young people, volu
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Sander Van Laere, 23, is one n. housed under H30, Mechele Project Wolf Radio Station,
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e Giving Young People a Voic
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Swelvet: That’s Aw Michael Bonne y, founded by two friends, Swelvet is a young compan and Kevin Brondel.
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Villa Cross Media
esome
Border Villa Cross Media: Cross ive volunteers;
Interviews with two impress Jana Goyvaerts,
Michael Lombaits and
n o i t i d E r e d r Bo
Cross Border Edition
U ISS E
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Stijn Hens: BMX is My Passion
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ers the festival Cross Border Edition, cov for Villa Cross ure clos the for in Belgium Darren Mann, with ws Media with intervie l, along with hae Mic rna Sha er, Driv Ben re and Youssef volunteers Sander Van Lae this edition is the Saouni. Also incouded in in a whole with vision of the VxM Project g projects like udin incl s, the Belgium partner is. 21b and a Bot Villa f, Wol Project
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July 2014 - Issue 11
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Photo Credit: Facebook
Original: Eline Van Lancker Translation: Lynn Baes BMX rider Stijn Hens is definitely one to watch. The athlete and Belgian Champion from Mechelen even took part in Belgium’s Got Talent in 2013. A bad accident has kept him off his bike during the last couple of months, but now he’s ready to fight back and regain his place in the BMX scene.
television, my dad and I visited a skate park to see what it was all about. I was immediately and completely sold to the idea.’
After bringing home some stellar grades the same year, Stijn received his first bike. He started going to the skate park every day, making heaps of improvement throughout the following months and years. Stijn practiced his sport by racing, a discipline involving cycling through an obstacle course against the Stijn was only a little, blond seven-year old clock. In the end, he lost his heart to freewhen he fell in love with BMX. ‘Up until that style, which means you can do your own thing point, I had always played basketball and by making creative jumps. started looking for a new adventure. When I spotted some impressive BMX riders on the ‘BMX as a sport is hard to comprehend for a
lot of people, because it’s not very traditional. There aren’t many people who do it. To me, BMX represents freedom. I don’t have to think about other things and can focus on what I like best.’ Taste of success At a certain point, Stijn had to choose between academic pursuits or a professional career as a BMX cyclist. His parents found a degree to be more important, so he temporarily abandoned his career plans. ‘When I was invited to compete in the United States, I realised I could achieve something in this sport. During the same year, I became Belgian Champion as well, which opened a bunch of new doors. I met quite a few experienced people who wanted to help me reach my full potential.’ Televised adventures Together with a couple of friends, Stijn formed the stunt team Get Insane, which auditioned for the popular talent show Belgium’s Got Talent. By taking part, they wanted to show that there are other talents than singing and dancing. Their stunt was received with a lot of enthusiasm and the act made it into the live shows. However, Stijn was forced to back out because he got severely injured that summer. Never again? ‘My accident happened in the States, where I was taking part in a competition. I’d been trying this new move, containing a rather high drop. Something definitely went wrong and I fell. Result? A mangled leg that had broken in two.’
Phot
o Cre dit:
VTM
tion would be a successful one. After a mere four months since the accident, he got back in the saddle. While he still has to endure some pain, he survives on the happiness he feels when he’s on his bike. ‘My parents, friends and peers told me to quit. But I just can’t. BMX is my passion and that will never go away.’
Nowadays, Stijn is forced to walk through life with an iron bar in his shinbone. The doctors, who took care of him in America, predicted he would never cycle again. Stijn refused to give into this sentence and ensured his rehabilitaPhoto Credit: Angela Fish
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July 2014 - Issue 11
Renday Vous Zigsag and Intifada
By Ben Driver Youssef Saouni, 23 years old, and Jalal Sadik, 19 years old, aka Zigsag and Intifada are two ambitious rappers who not only use music to express their views on the world as they see it but also understand how music can inspire and create change. Setting up their own record label and having a show on Project Wolf radio is enabling them to support young artists including themselves to further a career in the music industry. “Communication with the world, that’s the most beautiful thing about Project Wolf” (Jalal) For Youssef making radio is a new venture relative to how long he has been making music. It has been 8 years since Zigsag started creating Hip Hop. Jalal aka Intifada joined Zigsag 3 years ago after seeing a clip of him rapping on YouTube. From that clip they got talking and rapping and started to build their own recording studio. It is a great example of the internet and media working in partnership and also how they can be used to bring people together. However this partnership has not passed without difficulty, “Belgium doesn’t support us, they don’t support Hip Hop actually”. But what radio has provided is a boost in support. Jalal picks up this radio angle, “it’s been almost one year since we started Project Wolf, we have a radio show UrbanSoundz, weekly we invite artists from the whole of Belgium to perform a live session. That live session then goes on our YouTube Channel Renday Vous”. They both agree that radio has been rewarding to them, being able to form a “connection with the outside world, show the world what we have”. “It’s like what Project Wolf is for us, a second home” (Jalal) Youssef and Jalal both came to Ipswich in November 2013 and could recognise a similarity between CSV Media Clubhouse, Ipswich and H30, Mechelen in what it offered young people. And as, when they visited the UK, it was Halloween “we made radio show about Halloween, wrote a rap in English and put it into the radio show as well as making some music in the recording studio”. Jalal speaking, “we learned a lot about the creative aspect of radio, you can put something special in your show, a story or rap”. They both commented on how social everyone in Ipswich was, which makes it even more important to them that their and radio show reaches more people outside of Mechelen, because all people are different, and
linking up socially is a great way to spread ideas and understand different dynamics in society. Jalal states “You meet another city and another world and your eyes are opened. It gives you also more chances to make connection with other side of the water”. Youssef concludes “it is good to expose your artistic selves in another environment”. “Give them a chance to make something artistic” (Youssef) Back in Mechelen working with young people is very important to them. Youssef speaking. “we record [music] for ourselves but we do It also for the youth because there is not so much chances for young people, so we help them make music”. Jalal adds “we hope to inspire them and keep them away from the streets”, which might I add is a noble and humbling idea for a 19 year old to have. “It’s small but powerful” (Jalal) They already believe they are having a positive impact on Mechelen, easy to see when they perform Hip Hop live. But in the future they want more. Youssef wants to be Music Producer; Jalal speaks about “making our own label Renday Vous bigger. It’s small but powerful; we could get more out of it. In the way of Project Wolf, make our show UrbanSoundz more famous; invite more and more people from the whole of Belgium, The Netherlands, England to perform”. Project Wolf has fuelled Youssef and Jalal’s passion for music to get them to where they are today, and grow, no doubt beyond their expectations, in the future.
July 2014 - Issue 11
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IO Radios’
Ben Driver The strength of CSV? Their volunteers! Hailing from all walks of life, they offer their valuable time and expertise to the community, working together to create media products that reflect their passion. One of these volunteers is Ben Driver, a university graduate who is besotted by radio. ‘Currently, I work as an assistant manager for IO Radio, which stands for Ipswich Online Radio. What does this entail? It means that I help out the DJs, take care of general admin work and guard our various social media accounts. But I’m also in charge of the playlist, for example, we get sent various songs from different, most often local artists and promotional companies. I listen to them all and decide whether they’re suitable for our radio station. What does this kind of power do with a man? So far, I’m still relatively uncorrupted!’ Learning new things every day ‘At university, I studied History. I pursued this degree in Nottingham. While it might seem unrelated to what I do here, I did get involved with student radio during my time there. I helped trying to set everything up properly, was a reporter on a news show for a short while and ended up presenting their culture show. Loved it!’ ‘My role here at CSV Media is on a voluntary basis. You should really see it as an internship. I’m learning new things every day and constantly gaining valuable experience along the way. I first started volunteering for the magazine and the blog, because radio plainly didn’t exist at CSV back then. When I heard they were thinking about creating a radio station, I kind of jumped at the chance and started taking part in the meetings, helped with organising and took part in the very first broadcast.’
More than 60 presenters in less than a year ‘IO Radio went live in August 2013 and in this relative short period of time, we’ve already accumulated more than 60 presenters and DJs. The majority of them are between 16 and 25 years old, but we’ve got a fair few older presenters as well. They often come from local radio stations and are definitely people to look up to. These people have been in the business for years and can share their knowledge with the younger generation, teach them the ropes of the profession. That’s how you do it, that’s how radio is made.’ ‘We’ve got a wide range of shows. Most of them are about music, with different DJs showing off their knowledge about their chosen genres. Drum & Bass, metal, hip hop, indie … The list goes on. On top of that there’s a program about politics, but also one about lifestyle for example, “It’s not all about yoga”! They talk about a different topic each time, advising listeners on how to live a happy life, eating healthily, how to live in the moment…’ “What the future holds for me? Currently, I’m working part time at a café. When you live in Suffolk, you need to travel a lot and my café job is just a means to an end. However, I’m applying to the BBC to be part of their talent production pool. This is a program that lasts for about a year and they send you all over the country to take part in the production of various shows, be it as a runner or an assistant. After that year, you get the chance to get on a traineeship, which prepares you for a career with them. I’d love to get involved in all different kinds of projects!’
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July 2014 - Issue 11
Eva Vaes Self-Employed Illustrator
Original: Jana Goyvaerts Translation to English: Lynn Baes
working as a secretary in Gasthuisberg, a hospital in the city of Leuven. I was there for about five years, making illustrations and starting to think about what I really wanted from life in the meantime. Nowadays, I work part-time as a secretary at Leuven University. The idea of having to work such little hours was kind of scary. Would I earn enough to survive and not have too much free time on my hands? Luckily, my boss is very supportive. It turned out great: I have enough time to draw and even teach art history to adults on the side. Isn’t it complicated to have two jobs? What about taxes? For now, it’s relatively easy because I’m not officially self-employed. An employment agency sorts out the administrative side to my illustration work. In the long run, I’d love to be self-employed, but only when things start taking off properly. At the moment though, it’s quite handy that they take care of the boring side of things. I can focus completely on my drawings.’ Do you actually like your secretary job or is it just a means to an end? ‘If I’d be able to live off my drawings, I would. The negative side to it, is that being an illustrator is quite a lonely existence. At the office, I’ve got a lot of colleagues I can have a chat with during the slower moments. From September onwards, I’ll be a guest
A stable job or following your dreams? A tough decision and dilemma many young people face nowadays. The journey starts when picking a course or degree and becomes slightly more difficult once you’re in the work field trying to find a job. A lot of students pick stability and certainty, but a couple of daredevils decide to dive into the unknown. However, there is a way which offers you the best of both worlds. Eva (30), an enterprising woman from the Belgian city of Mechelen, has a traditional day job which she combines with a side job as an illustrator. What did you study? ‘I studied history at university. On top of that, I decided to learn how to paint artistically, which I took classes for during the evening. It started as an interest, but grew into a full-fledged passion which I just couldn’t ignore.’ Did you try and find a job that suited your academic achievements? ‘I looked for a job in the cultural world, which didn’t prove to be easy. Thanks to an employment agency, I started
artist at H30, a creative studio in Mechelen, a place, I assume, where there will be enough people to keep me company.’ Would you recommend taking on a side job? ‘I’ve already done that! Not only to traditional, visual
artists, but also to musicians. I notice that many of my peers have doubts about what life path to follow. My story did inspire others to cut back on their more traditional professions and make time for what they really want to do. It’s a tough decision. It’s definitely not straightforward to say: ‘I’m going to do it.’ You need to find your own way, but most importantly: never give up.’
Illustrations: Eva Vaes Foto’s: Eva Vaes & Sarah Goyens
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A N R A H
S
July 2014 - Issue 11
MICHAEL
Sharna Michael is a young woman who definitely knows what she wants to do in her community. At 22, she is currently involved at CSV Clubhouse and VxM project as a Youth Engagement Officer. On top of that, she leads the Black Forum, a platform for black youngsters trying to make their voices heard in Ipswich. ‘The Villa Cross Media project was founded roughly four years ago, but I started out eight months back. The young people who come here, who look us up, would all love to get involved with media. On the project, we engage with people from the ages 16 to 25. Anyone who walks through the door either gets referred to me, Jussy, Ashley or Darren, the coordinators of VXM.’ Stepping stone to any career ‘We strive to focus on hard-to-reach people, but pretty much anyone can join in. Everyone’s different, but we do take pride in taking on the former. Hard-to-reach, this means the unemployed or hauling from difficult social backgrounds. Youth unemployment is pretty bad over here, a lot of people I know are currently out of job. When they do finally find something, it’s usually not the kind of work they really want to be doing. For them, it’s just a pay check which allows them to buy things, to survive. CSV and Villa Cross Media on the other hand, are stepping stones to any career, not just something in media. They get to work on something they enjoy and in the meanwhile figure out what they want to do in life.’ Confidence ‘We’ve got plenty of successes so far. A volunteer called Mason, for example, he started off here and ended up doing a media course at university. Many of our other volunteers are now in good jobs, telling us they gained the confidence through their work here, that they finally dared to go out and look for something worthwhile. Maybe it’s due to the fact that we’re multidisciplinary. People can come in and pick what they want to do, be it photography, radio, record their own tracks, contribute to the VXM magazine or take part in the Black Forum. We’ve got a great thing going here.’ Black Forum ‘How the Black Forum started? Basically, we were having a discussion one day and we looked around and noticed all of us were black, sharing pretty much the same ideas, views and visions. From there on, it developed naturally. It evolved into us meeting up once a week, discussing topics close to our hearts and issues that affected us. The Black Forum has been running for quite a while now, but
we can still find enough to discuss every meeting. Topics like stop and search, discrimination and racial inequality. We’d also love to get involved in mentoring.’ Possesses great strength ‘Sometimes, it just feels like we don’t have a voice in Ipswich, especially when it comes to topics like stop and search. We’re working with the council at the moment and they’ve pointed out that a black person is more likely to be stopped and searched than a white person. Funnily enough, only three per cent actually end up being arrested, which is a rather stupid and insignificant number.’ ‘We bring out a magazine as well. It’s called Amari, meaning: ‘possesses great strength’. I’d love to see Amari becoming self-sustainable, even after the VXM project. Topics featured? A lot of local artists, fashion, music. We try and keep the subjects and contributions open to everyone. It needs to be fresh and definitely not too depressing.’
You can find Amari Magazine online, at: http://www.amari-magazine.co.uk/
July 2014 - Issue 11
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Let’s Make Radio Sander Van Laere
By Ben Driver It is clear that Mechelen is home to many intelligent young people who have big aspirations and who understand the value of their city. That value being: access to a platform for personal development and the use of that platform to encourage and empower other young people. Sander Van Laere, 23, is one of these young people, volunteering at Project Wolf Radio Station, housed under H30, Mechelen. “I heard about Project Wolf and thought yeah, let’s make some radio and have some fun” Sander has his own show on Project Wolf as well as being the station’s Music Editor. He talks about studying journalism and radio but finding it incredibly difficult to find a job. However he saw the potential of Project Wolf, has progressed through its rank and has aspirations for the future. “Mostly I do this because of the experience. I am dreaming of a project in a foreign country, try to make radio there and help people with social problems through media. I have seen it work in other countries”. He talks about how media can be used to forget your personal problems, how we can’t “make them lose all of their problems because that is not possible, but we can help them just forget it for a moment”.
on young people he humbly remarked “I hope I have some impact, I try to teach others how to make radio and be enthusiastic about radio because that’s what I can do. To show others an experience of what it is like to be in the media world is the only impact I have, but I think it’s a good start”. “I have an anonymous impact”. From youth to the city, Sander was more confident when regarding the wider image. “Everyone has an impact [on the city] from what they do to what they think. I have an anonymous impact, because they don’t know me, I am just one of those guys from studio Wolf who has taken up the challenge to promote media in Mechelen and to work with youngsters. I think it’s having quite an impact”. After the interview we talked a bit more about this anonymity, with my colleague saying that Sander should be recognised for all the work he is doing. To which his response was but all the people who have made real change in the world are the anonymous personalities, the people behind the scenes who have the ideas and bring them to life. “Most young people have skills obviously, but they don’t get recognised”
On asking him what the biggest challenge of radio was he said: “working with volunteers…you can’t force them to do something but it’s a nice challenge to take up”. On the flipside the most rewarding part is “getting other people excited about radio”, citing an example of going into a school in Mechelen and sparking the imagination of the youth it was “nice to see other people are also enthusiastic about this”.
Sander works within diversity, he spends time with a mix of ethnic groups and/or ethnic minorities. “Those people don’t have the same chances as we have, it’s discriminating but you have to overcome it, try to overcome it. Here in the media lab we can do that, it’s a very nice thing to know we can”. Project Wolf as well as the other media projects that surround him is a “platform to give people a chance to develop skills in whatever they are good at”. He stresses the idea that “it’s very important for a city and a country to have a good and strong idea about how to create media with youngsters”.
“Youth is our future, it really is”
“You can learn from them and they can learn from you”.
One of the issues right now is that “media is getting older because only old people get the jobs. They don’t know what’s going on with the youth”. Which makes it all the important to cite what Sander said next; “youth has the main goal of keeping our society alive, keeping our planet alive, and so we have to make them ready through media”. Media is essential is Sander’s world view, if young people have more control and influence in today’s media industry as a whole, then society will not decay. And so when I asked him what impact he has
Talking of the Villa Cross Media project as a whole and the exchanges that have taken place between Ipswich and Mechelen, Sander notes that “you can learn a lot you can’t from your own country. People you don’t know are other types of people who think otherwise, live otherwise. They know other stuff we don’t know so we learn from them. They are a lot of problems ahead globally and in our own countries, we only can learn and grow in society from other people”.
“It’s a nice challenge to take up”
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July 2014 - Issue 11
Villa Cross Media Giving Young People a Voice
Different countries, different abilities ‘Our speciality, in Ipswich, is reaching different groups of people, this is how we contribute to the project’, Darren continues. ‘The most important thing for us is to give chances and help people. The results don’t have to be perfect for us. It’s more about the journey than the final product.’ CSV CREW Kie Webb-Heath, 25, Volunteer ‘My ambition? Build a media career and expand my CV’ VXM: GENERAL IDEA Villa Cross Media gives young people a voice. This sentiment summarises, in short, the results that are constantly being achieved in Ipswich. Darren Mann, who’s responsible for the VXM-project in the English city, describes what kind of work they do. ‘It comes down to helping young people further their career and improve their employability. Everyone is allowed to participate. After some basic training, they are usually competent enough to create media products on their own.’ Darren also points out how valuable the project is for the integration of minorities into their community, with different nationalities working together in the same building. ‘This mix is what sets us apart.’ Amongst these different communities, you can find Polish people, Lithuanians, Hindus and Africans. All of these communities organise their own workshops that are ultimately part of the Villa Cross Media Project. CSV Media Clubhouse: integration on the forefront The project is shaped in the CSV Media Clubhouse, a digital multimedia centre combining music with community art facilities. It’s part of a network of similar centres, based in cities such as Ipswich, Islington, Manchester and Preston. The town of Ipswich itself is located in Suffolk, England. It’s a non-metropolitan district nearby the estuary of the River Orwell, in the east of the country. Around 133.000 people call Ipswich ‘home’ and it’s one hour far from London, which makes it an ideal commuter hub. The city has a distinct intercultural core, receiving several waves of immigrants from around the world. The Asian community however, is the most populated one.
‘I host a radio show on Wednesdays, from 5 to 6 pm. After I had finished university, I started working here, hoping this experience would reflect well on me. I’m trying to expand my CV, so I can build up a solid media career. The most important part of this project is the radio station, which is also a great way to catch up with people. On top of that, working here is quite relaxing.’ Sharna Michael, 21, Youth Engagement Officer ‘As new people keep coming in, the project keeps expanding’ ‘The project really helps with the integration of minorities. We try and engage everyone who is part of our multicultural city. While the ages differ from 15 to 25, the common goal is to make solid media products. My personal aim? Keep the project sustainable. I’m one hundred percent sure my job is valuable and I’ve learnt a lot about different aspects of life.’ Ashley Rose, 27, Youth Engagement Officer ‘The work of VXM is different depending on where it is made’ ‘Villa Cross Media brings the community together, but now it’s coming to an end. I would like to take part in future projects if they are similar to VXM. The collaboration with Mechelen started in July 2013. However, the way they work is so different: the music they deliver, the way they plan their video reporting, etc. For example, I remember the last day that young people were performing rap music in Dutch. The people over there really liked it.’
July 2014 - Issue 11 ‘We give youngsters a voice’ – Interview Darren Darren Mann
Page 15 What is the relationship between Mechelen and Ipswich? From my point of view, Mechelen has fantastic opportunities to work with young people, and we share the results of this with our partners. Our speciality is to engage young people outside of the mainstream. We are used to go out and engage the minorities. What do you think about the results so far? For us it is more about the journey than the final result. Take dropouts for example, they quit school and come here to gain more skills. If they do the work, even if it’s not perfect or smooth, that’s what matters. Where do the funds of the VXM project come from?
‘The project is primarily about empowering young people and giving them a voice in the media. For years the traditional media have dominated the newspapers and the TV and radio stations and they want people to listen. But here and now everybody has their say.’ Since when have you been part of the VXM project?
Some of the funds come from the European grant, but the main part comes from different places: private people, local grants, lottery based projects, local governments and the national government. This helps, because since we depend on various organisations, if one source dries out, we only lose a small part. Otherwise, if all of the money came from one pot, the project would end if they pulled out.
I started with the VXM-project in 2011 and I have been working in the CSV Media Clubhouse since 2003.
What do you think has been the best moment of the VXM project so far?
ICTV: film production, digital stories, & short courses. IO Radio: work experience, training, show presenting, & sound editing. VxM Magazine: writing articles, design, Photoshop and InDesign workshops. Black Forum: Amari magazine, weekly meeting to discuss topics that affect black youth. Photography: one off training sessions and shoots. Music Collective: a group of young talented musicians who come together to perform and record their own music. Track 24 studio: music production, sound engineering, & recording studio. Youth Empowerment Groups: building confidence & life skills. Kitchen Invaders: small groups working with a chef to show how to cook cheap and nutritional meals.
CSV Media Clubhouse, 120 Princes Street, Ipswich IP1 1RS
Are you a... Lyricist DJ Guitarist Drummer Violinist Singer Beat Boxer Pianist Dancer
We are looking for talented young people between the ages of 16 - 25 to join our
If interested please contact Ashley by phone or email
TEL: (01473) 418034 Email: arose@csv.org.uk
rules
Relationship Fashion self-esteem SCHOOL LIFE APPEARANCE MEDIA CONFiDENCE Interested in getting involved ? contact Sharna Michael Smichael@csv.co.uk 01473 418034
A
BL CK FORUM
Black Forum
is the place for you if you want some where to express your thoughts opinions in safe
Environment Creative mentoring Drama
spoken word
Poetry Word
spoken word Poetry
Drama Peace
Creative
Music Collective
girls
young group women’s
Music
For More Information Contact Jussy JRaistrick@csv.org.uk
I’m happy working here, this is probably the most important place of my career because now I have the chance to empower young people and give them a voice. This is just stunning and I love it.
Drama
Villa Cross Media (VxM) Giving a voice to 16-25 year olds in the UK and Belgium via:
One last conclusion about VXM?
Creative mentoring
Music
Drama
Radio is where most people work. The radio people come in, write their texts and present their radio shows. You also need less space to keep a radio studio in operation than for example a TV studio.
Poetry
The radio studio seems to be the heart of the CSV Media Clubhouse.
Drama
Absolutely. Different communities build up the uniqueness of this building. We have the Lithuanian community, the South American community, the African community, and so on. That makes this place pretty crazy and amazing.
The project actually finishes in September. However, we will continue the relationship with Mechelen and Bruges. In the UK young people are not cared about enough and they are usually someone else’s problem. Belgium empowers young people. We have been learning to engage them, organising events and make them part of it. Our young people have created the most impressive magazines. They are full energy and creativity and that’s great. In terms of activity we want to find a sustainable future for Ipswich. We want to keep young people telling their stories through radio shows and magazines.
Music
So integration work is important here?
How do you envision its future?
Spoken word
Some people just come in from the street and say ‘I’ve heard you do radio shows, can I do it?’ Then a coordinator trains them and they start with the radio project. Others join us after they have already finished school and dream of a career in media. Then there’s another group that comes to us through a partnership. For example: Tonya, one of the coordinators, started a project to help the Polish young people, who then take part in our activities.
The first exchange we had was absolutely fantastic. Young people had the chance to learn from different places. Some of the results of the crowd funding have been absolutely outstanding and made us very proud. For the radio project, we had seventeen volunteers in the space of six weeks all creating different shows.
Drama
How do you engage volunteers?
Word
If you are interested to coming along to one of our group discussions contact us: 01473 418035 / 418034
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Project Wolf . Every project needs a foundation to be built on and in the case of Project Wolf, it is being formed by a group of young people looking to define their own radio show. Made by young people for young people, music is a vital element in making everything come together. To this end, the project members are hard at work preparing a variety of playlists for their future radio broadcasts. Nelles De Caluwe is responsible for the radio part of the project located in Mechelen and explains some of the key elements in the project. ‘Right now there are a number of people hard at work selecting and editing a wide variety of music for our future radio shows. They are trying to select the best music both for our listeners, and the music which best fits with who we are and what we are trying to accomplish through this project. We are not quite ready to launch yet, but we have some very good ideas for our programs and are eager to make them a reality’. Radio is only one side of ‘Project Wolf’. Other forms of media like audio-visual and the printed press are also an integral part of the whole process, with the printed press having their own magazine titled ‘Gromm’. Gromm Magazine Gromm magazine is run and maintained by a number of volunteers drawn primarily from the Journalism student base from Thomas More University College. The magazine itself contains a number of articles and interviews looking at fun and interesting facts about Mechelen aimed largely at young people. The most recent issue is focused on ‘extreme issues’ and challenges the youths of the city to engage in and look for extreme news whatever it may be. The editorial staff members of the magazine are under the supervision of the lecturers at Thomas More University College. Currently, they are looking to have their first publication of the magazine and have promised every young reader will enjoy it due to the wide and engaging range of topics and the general format of the magazine itself. The magazine itself is seeking to exploit a ‘gap in the market’ as it were, by focusing on the young people of Mechelen when there is very little competition aimed at this group in particular, the topics included in the magazine reflect their target audience and have been created to best reach out to, and appeal to the young people of Mechelen. The crew of Project Wolf Nelles (30), Radio Coordinator ‘Project Wolf opens its doors to young people in an effort to encourage them to be part of something and to try something new. Whether it is due to an interest in music or wanting to
July 2014 - Issue 11 learn more about the audio-visual crew, all are welcome to learn more and be more involved with the media.’ ‘I am hopeful that the project can be self-regulating after it’s finished and that people become more involved in the media so that they can see first-hand what it can do for them.’ Bas (23), Volunteer ‘We write about youth to show and share cool stuff about the city’ ‘We write for the youths of our city, to show them what cool and exciting things are happening near them.’ ‘Both students of Journalism and volunteers work as a team to make Gromm magazine what it is. As a group, we can achieve great things by pooling our talents and allowing more ideas to be shared and expanded upon.’ ‘The difference between working here and working at the school is all about perspective I think. While we are here we are much more focused on a ‘youth’ perspective, while at school we are more focused on an ‘adult’ one. Jef (21), volunteer ‘Each of us has different visions on how we can make the magazine more interesting’ ‘Each and every person has a unique vision of what we can do to make the magazine more interesting’. ‘I study Journalism at Thomas More University College and it was there that Bas introduced me to Project Wolf. He enquired if I might be interested in contributing to the magazine and we spoke at length about what thoughts I had and how I might help them out.’ ‘The values of the magazine are specific, but still allows for each of us to put our own ideas forward in regards to how we think we can improve things and make them more interesting. It’s never a case of you being here for too short a time to contribute, and it is through regular editorial meetings with everyone else that helps us all learn more about each other and how to make things better.’
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‘Youngsters get to improve their media skills’ Villa Bota is a Media house in Bruges and part of Villa Cross Media. It has been engaging youngsters in one way or another for over five years. Wannes, the co-ordinator of Villa Bota, explains what they’ve been trying to achieve: ‘We work together to create radio shows and videos. We also have a blog where our volunteers can publish articles.’ ‘For young people, learning and work are one and the same in Villa Bota. They have access to materials that would be hard to come across normally, which means that Villa Bota can offer them opportunities for equipment, expertise and software they might not normally be able to have. Everyone can improve their skills and broaden their knowledge of the media. We give them the opportunity to work with audio-visual materials that cannot be found elsewhere, making Villa Bota a truly unique experience. We are now focused on a visual effects contest Talking about the audio-visual part of its work, Villa Bota is now focused on creating some fantastic effects for a contest in Bruges on Saturday the 29th of March. There had recently been a workshop with three French audio-visual DJs who got together with the Villa Bota crew to share knowledge and techniques. At the radio part of the Villa Bota (which has a dedicated internet broadcast). There are more than 40 shows, brought to you by 100 volunteers. An example of one of the shows on offer is called ‘Senses’ and is based on Drum and Bass music. Two of the young DJs for example have been broadcasting electronic music for over two years.’ Daan, one of the DJs who created the show explains why he loves making radio shows: ‘I’m not a professional; I’m just having fun while learning more about the media as I go.’ Not only radio, but also audio-visual work and the new magazine means that Villa Bota is looking forward to new horizons and are hungry to expand and succeed. Their latest endeavour is with Print Media and a project
they started with them in January. Wannes: ‘While Villa Bota may have started as an internet radio station, the young people here wanted more from it and so we are continuing to grow and expand into other aspects of media, allowing us to develop our knowledge and the size of the audience that we can reach.’ Villa Bota Crew Marie-Laure, Coordinator of Villa Bota ‘If youngsters are interested in media, this is definitely the place to be’ ‘I’m the coordinator of Villa Bota, part of the the VXMproject. I started this job a year ago. I prepare workshops for the video crew. If young people are interested in media, this is definitely the place to be. We’ve created a media environment which can’t be found at their schools. They are taught technical things and are encouraged to experiment. Villa Bota is dedicated to it’s ‘pupils’ and we give them opportunities they can’t find anywhere else in Bruges. In our program, they can develop creative skills and who knows, perhaps become media professionals one day.’ Daan, 21, radio host ‘I didn’t know anything about broadcasting, until now’ ‘I host a radio show called Senses. We play Drum and Bass, but not the typical, commercial kind you would hear on ‘regular’ music stations. In that sense, our program might not be a commercial hit. To me, working here, feels like going to the pub with a friend and putting on some records we love. I’ve constantly been gaining experience since starting my work here. Especially in broadcasting, something I had no clue about before.’ Lieve Roegiers
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21bis
July 2014 - Issue 11 and knowledge which we have gained over the years can be shared with our media partners and everyone involved. Both teachers and students are coaching young participants who want to learn more about media. What are the differences between 21bis and the rest of the Villa Cross Media Project?
What is 21bis? It’s a news platform for students, mostly for those who study at Thomas More. It contains articles, video and audio reports, radio and TV programs. It is made by Thomas More’s senior year journalism students. They can choose any topic they like and this is the strength of 21bis. People decide for themselves what they think is interesting, but have to keep their target audience, 18 to 25 year-olds in mind. When did 21bis start? 21bis started at the beginning of this school year. We had another platform before, but it needed to be updated. The website is called 21bis because of different reasons: it’s is the number of the building we work in, the average age of the users, and also: a platform for the 21st century. Is 21bis a useful way to learn for the students? The infrastructure in this building is very efficient: we have an editorial meeting room, a radio studio, a TV studio, the Reuters and Belga Box with news feeds... This helps our students and motivates them develop their skills, because their work feels like a real job. The main difference with the real world is that they are allowed to make mistakes since it’s part of their learning process. They can take risks, because we allow them to. On the other hand, some of the 21biscontent is surely good enough to be published by professional media organisations and websites, which regularly happens. What do you think matters most, the final result or the work that is done? For the students it’s really important to have a final product to show to the world: articles and reports that they can share with their friends and family through social media. But teachers here are also focusing on the students’ professional attitude: are they able to respect deadlines, can they work in a team, cope with criticism? What is the relation between 21bis and the Villa Cross Media Project? 21bis as a platform can publish any content made by Villa Cross Media Project partners, as long as it is relevant for our readers. Moreover, the expertise
The other media partners work with volunteers. It is important that they learn about media literacy, but have fun at the same time. We have to take into account that students here are working towards a degree and are prepared for a professional career. Of course, the fun part can help them to feel more engaged. From an educational point of view, that is a huge challenge: students have to learn a lot, but the most important thing is of course that they feel passionate about their future.
Thomas More Video Workshops As we have seen before, the people involved in the Villa Cross Media projects don’t necessarily have to be university students. The Thomas More lecturers organise workshops for secondary students as well. They explain the technical side of TV, offer them support and let them create a show about a topic of their own choosing. The students are allowed to work on their own, which makes it all feel very real to them. If they make it through, they will have experienced the pressure that comes with being a journalist. The lecturers hope that this process will encourage them to pursue a career in the field.
How to make your own TV show? Thomas De Weerdt, member of the Villa Cross Media Project of 21bis, explains everything there is to know about the audio-visual workshops. What are you doing for the Villa Cross Media Project? For VXM, we organise television workshops. We invite secondary schools to come here and make their own television program. We work together with the teachers, who help them make reports for the school. What are the audio-visual workshops in 21bis about? It’s all about multi-camera television. Not so much about journalism really, as we don’t offer them advice on content. We explain the technical part, such as camera and editing skills, but also how they have to present their show and themselves. When did you start your collaboration with the workshops?
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I started the workshops in 2009, but they weren’t part of Villa Cross Media then. They were also funded by the European Union though and this is why the schools were happy about the fact that they could do those workshops again. We know that it’s always a matter of money of course, and hope that after Villa Cross Media, there will be a new project on the horizon. We have to make kids smart about the media and we can help them do it through these ventures. Who is working in the part of Villa Cross Media of 21bis? Tom Rumes and I organise the workshops. He is the communication manager and I provide technical support. We, on the other hand, get help from the university How many secondary school pupils take part in the workshops? This year, we will have reached more than 150 students
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who we could give a chance to work with our television equipment. It’s beneficial for them to participate, to work practically and it’s all-in-all a fun experience. We always get positive feedback from students and teachers alike. They are usually very proud of their work and share it with friends and family. What happens with the TV programs they create? Frankly, the work done by the secondary school students is theirs. They take it home and do whatever they want with it. Do you think that this experience could change the way they view media? I think that it’s fun for them to learn how to create stories, features and interviews. But I don’t think it changes their view. The goal is not to change their mind; it’s all about the experience itself.
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July 2014 - Issue 11
Swelvet That’s Awesome
‘The customers are our inspiration’ Swelvet is a young company, founded by two friends, Michael Bonne (29) and Kevin Brondel (28), who met during their university college days at Thomas More Mechelen. Day in, day out, they prove that with the right attitude and work, you can succeed in business. Their ultimate aim? Building sustainable furniture with a creative twist. Humble beginnings? Michael: We were both self-employed after graduating from our postgraduate course ‘Furniture Design’, trying to find some odd jobs to do. After running into each other and getting reacquainted, we decided that we should join forces and try something together. It worked fairly well and soon we added two other friends, Maksim and Bjorn, to our workforce. Kevin: During those days, our projects weren’t comparable to what we do now. It was more or less basic contractor work, like putting down a wooden patio in people’s backyards or building a fence.
The city of Mechelen has played an important part in your success. Michael: It was hard for us to find a base, an atelier, to work from. Thanks to a scheme, meant to encourage the use of vacant buildings, we were able to find a workplace out of town in the village of Zemst. While financially attractive, it wasn’t exactly prime real estate. Kevin: Then we were offered a deal by the city of Mechelen. They normally rent out offices to young enterprises, but an atelier was unheard of. However, they approached us asking us if we were willing to share the space with other creative ventures and whether we wanted to improve the dilapidated building. We jumped to the chance and that’s how we ended up working from the city centre, building relations with the local businesses, something Mechelen wanted to achieve in the first place. Swelvet? Sounds Scandinavian. Michael: That wasn’t our intention, but it’s funny that people think that. We basically started jumbling
words together when we were in our naming process. ‘Webuild4you’ and other nonsense like that. Kevin: ‘Swelvet’ means ‘is wel vet’ (English: that’s awesome). A sentence we just can’t stop using in Mechelen it seems. You aren’t afraid of using recycled materials? Michael: Right now, we’re constructing patio seating out of pallet wood. It’s a good example of sustainability. Same goes with using materials the customers already own, like a tree. We were asked to remodel a cedar tree into a tree house, which was good fun and interesting to do. To us, that’s the dream: being able to create from existing things. It does have its downsides; construction work tends to take a lot longer when reusing material. What inspires you? Michael: Everything! From trees to cobbled roads to an old bench in the park. When we are hired for a specific project by a customer, they become our inspiration. Their lifestyle and way of thinking play a big part in the designing process. For instance, if we were to make a table for someone, we would ask them to send a couple of pictures to us. No pictures of tables, mind you, just of random things they like. If we can find a common theme in those photos, we can definitely build something that they will like. Can you keep up with the work? Michael: In all honesty, we won’t be able to take any more orders on for a while. We’re booked until August and are trying to finish off our backlog. While we take a lot of pride in our atelier, the truth is that we’re barely
there anymore. It seems like all four of us are always on the road, getting things done. Maksim and Bjorn are currently away in Antwerp working on another project, for instance. Swelvet started out a year ago, how has the project evolved since then? Michael: We get a lot more freedom these days. People have seen our work and are generally happy to let us take the lead in the designing process. They trust our judgement and knowledge, something which wasn’t always the case a year ago. Back then, they gave us specific instructions and were quite weary of our suggestions. But now, we’ve got our portfolio, a bunch of positive reviews and our customers are like: ‘Yeah, go on, do your own thing!’
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July 2014 - Issue 11
Villa Cross Media: Cross Border
I attended the festival in H30 in Mechelen, as part of the closure for Villa Cross Media. Aside from all of the festivities, workshops and performances, I was able to speak to two of the young people that are involved within Villa Cross Media to find out what they have participated in, what they do, and what they want to do next.
Michael Lombaits, Age 22
What sort of young people do you work with?
So, you are involved in Villa Cross media. What do you do?
It’s a very diverse group, mostly youngsters and teenagers that are interested but lack the equipment or skills.
I started as a photographer but I’m now getting involved in VJing, visual stuff.
What did you do when you linked up with Bruges?
How did you get involved with Villa Cross Media?
I followed the VJ group to Bruges, for a media weekend. I learned a bit about visual stuff and took part in a VJ battle.
It started with Project Wolf, which is the project that supports VXM. A friend needed me to act in a short film for the project. Then Nina asked me to get involved with the photography and take photos for Project Wolf. Do you do any volunteering within Villa Cross Media? I am now the head of photography. I get people together and deliver workshops. Also at Project Wolf we have the opportunity to attend all the festivals in Mechelen, to go back stage and take lots of photos. And I am now looking for other young photographers to join me.
Was it different in Bruges? For me there were a lot of new things, I took some pictures but concentrated on the VJing, which was a new medium for me. What do you want to do next? What are your ambitions? Well, the festival season is now starting and I am hoping that Project Wolf is going to grow. We want to attract a lot more members, reach the youngsters and students and make a name for Project Wolf. That is my ambition.
The theme was ghost stories, and I made a magazine. It was really fun to just get to know so many more people and make media in different contexts. Did you learn anything from the exchange? Yes, certainly. Because the project is different in Ipswich than it is here, it’s quite a bit bigger and it’s really community centred. It was fun to be there and be around all those people. How important do you think that it is to work with young people?
Jana Goyvaerts, Age 18 How long have you been involved with Villa Cross Media? I think for about two years. How did you get involved? My mother set up Project Wolf and Villa Cross Media, so that’s how I got to know the project. Also a friend of mine was involved with the radio. What do you do within Villa Cross Media and Project Wolf? Mainly I am part of the magazine. I write for an online magazine and also a printable magazine. I also now do radio. Right now I don’t have my own radio show, but I participate within the projects they run. And since the last month I have started getting involved in the VJing. I do a lot! What is the biggest struggle that you face? The biggest struggle is finding time, as I study now, in Brussels, so it is hard to find time at the weekends to participate as much as I would like. What is the most rewarding thing? When you hear the reactions of people, and when a new magazine is printed and you see them reading them. Also when they listen to the radio shows. That’s the thing I find most rewarding. How has being within the project helped and supported you? It has really supported me in exploring my talents, and what I could and couldn’t do before. Like the Vjing, I would never have tried it without Villa Cross Media running the workshops. Have you taken part in any of the exchanges? Yeah, the first time when we came to Ipswich. What did you think? What did you do?
I think it is really important, because I see a lot of young people that are not actively participating in anything, so I think it is very important to stimulate young people to see their potential. Do you volunteer with any young people? Yes, within Project Wolf. Also now in Brussels I am quite active in student life. What impact do you think that Villa Cross Media is having on the City of Mechelen? I think it’s starting to have more and more of an impact. I am now seeing a lot more young people coming through. In the beginning I do not think it had that much of an impact but now the project has grown bigger and bigger, I think that it is very positive for the city to have a younger character. Why is it important for young people to celebrate their skills? I think it is important because, especially for those still in school, because the things that we learn is really academic, it’s important for them to learn that you can explore other things with their skills and have the freedom to be more creative. I feel this is very important for the self-development. Do you travel around a lot, or is there enough in Mechelen for you to do? Well, I study in Brussels, but I do like to spend my weekends in Mechelen. We have a lot of fun parties, other projects for young people, and of course Project Wolf. There are a lot of good things in Mechelen. What are your ambitions for the future? I don’t know yet, I am still working them out. Through Project Wolf I have learnt that I like working on radio and writing, so that option is very open to me, to go into more creative jobs. Do you think Villa Cross Media has helped you towards those decisions? Yes, certainly. I don’t think I would ever considered doing something with radio or writing if it wasn’t for Villa Cross Media. Because now I have learnt it is easier than I thought.
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