In September 2010 LIFT was awarded funding through Canada Council for the Arts to initiate an innovative film and video production pilot program in the Toronto District School System. Partnering with media teacher David Lush at Bloor Collegiate Institute, LIFT brings film and video expertise into the classroom with It's On: Challenging Violence through Film and Video. Through this initiative, practicing artists will reach out to the community and work with youth to create media projects that address violence and violence prevention.

It’s On: Challenging Violence Through Film and Video is an innovative production partnership project of the Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence Against Women and Children (METRAC) and The Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT). Toronto-based artists will mentor diverse youth and build their media production skills, empowering them to express opinions through artistic practices. Artists will gain a unique opportunity to collaborate with youth to produce independent media artworks.

Youth Peer Facilitators in METRAC’s Respect in Action (ReAct) program (in operation since 2001) will support the artists and youth participants by increasing their understanding of issues of violence and will provide a social/political lens from which the youth will start to engage with in their productions. LIFT will pilot the project with 30 diverse youth aged 16 and 17 participating in Bloor Collegiate Institute’s 2010-2011 grade 11 Media class. Media art projects created by youth will be shared with their peers and the broader community through film screenings, school assemblies, and online forums.

It’s On project objectives

1. Support practicing artists to mentor and collaborate with diverse youth to produce media artworks.
2. Increase access and exposure to alternative media production opportunities for under-resourced youth.
3. Work with project artists to ensure a supportive and dynamic environment in which they collaborate with youth participants and share their skills and perspectives.
4. Build youth media production skills and understanding of violence issues to incorporate into media art projects created in close collaboration with professional artists.
5. Share final media works on violence issues with other youth and the broader community through film festivals and school assemblies, as well as online forums.
6. Evaluate each project activity to determine the success of the project in supporting unique opportunities for artists and building youth media art production skills and awareness of violence issues that affect their lives.

It’s On project activities

Awareness-raising and skill-building workshops: Local artists will work with youth participants to support and mentor them through an ongoing series of workshops and discussions. Youth will become familiar with artists’ work and diverse artistic practices – they will gain introductory skills to video and film production. Youth will create a Super 8 film in the first phase of this project and work on HD video and new media projects for the remaining phase. Youth will also be engaged in awareness-raising workshops on violence against youth, gender-based violence, violence prevention, and violence in media, led by ReAct’s experienced, diverse, and dynamic team of Peer Youth Facilitators.  

Media production training: Youth will gain Super 8 film and HD video production skills through specialized training, led by partnering artists and LIFT’s programming team. LIFT is located in the vicinity of the partnering school and will provide facilities and equipment for youth to work on their productions with support of artist mentors.  

Final projects: Participants will produce short works on violence and violence prevention. Artists will provide mentorship, insight and inspiration in the process, as well as guidance throughout the production process. Youth will have access to LIFT’s production equipment and post-production facilities, including HD video cameras, Super 8 cameras, lighting and grip equipment and a digital classroom equipped with a full compliment of post-production software.

METRAC is a not-for-profit, community-based organization that works to prevent and end violence against diverse women, youth, and children in three main program areas: Community Safety, Community Justice, and Community Outreach and Education. Since 1984, METRAC has pursued its mandate to build the capacity of individuals, communities, and institutions to prevent and respond effectively to the issue of violence towards diverse women, youth, and children. METRAC is well-known for implementing innovative projects to prevent violence and for its ongoing work to support violence prevention amongst children and youth. For example, METRAC’s video game to promote respectful relationships amongst youth aged 8 to 14, RePlay: Finding Zoe/ReJouer: Où est Zoé? has won three awards for its unique design and content.

Respect in Action: Youth Preventing Violence (ReAct) is METRAC’s unique peer education program. It is made of dynamic, diverse, and skilled youth who facilitate interactive, peer-to-peer workshops, trainings, and speaking engagements on violence against women and youth. ReAct raises awareness, foster discussion, and introduces existing community resources to challenge diverse youth and inspire them to prevent violence in their lives. Since its inception in 2001, ReAct has delivered services to thousands of youth, educators, and service providers. Its youth-friendly, peer-based model has been tested and found to be effective. Feedback from youth workshop participants has been overwhelmingly positive, and the ReAct program model has been recognized in prevention research and reports as a best practice in addressing gender-based violence in high schools and the model has been reproduced in York Region.

It’s On: Challenging Violence through Film and Video is funded by the Canada Council for the Arts through the Artists and Community Collaboration Program (ACCP). The ACCP program supports diverse artistic activities that bring together professional artists and the broader community.