Archive: Around Town

The Best Buy Foundation has presented The Friends of the Ithaca Youth Bureau (FIYB) with a $5,000 community grant to support an Ithaca Youth Bureau (IYB) program that gives youth in our community the opportunity to work on collaborative video projects.

The gift will enable the IYB's 14-member Ithaca Youth Council to reach out to at least 150 additional young people. These youths will work with council members on collaborative video projects based on mutually relevant topics. Groups committed to a collaborative project include the Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC) after-school program and the fourth-grade social studies classes at Fall Creek Elementary School.

The youths involved with the filmmaking process will learn creativity, teamwork, communication skills, problem-solving, and how to work with and appreciate people from diverse backgrounds. In producing and viewing these films, they will gain civic literacy and will be encouraged to take an active role in local issues that are important to them. Finally, through distribution on public access cable television and online, the videos will recognize youth making a difference in their community, promote positive teen image, validate teen voices and create strong, visible teen role models.

“We are very pleased to accept this generous grant from The Best Buy Foundation," said Jeff Love, FIYB board chair. "The company's support for young filmmakers in our community shows a strong commitment to young people and allows them to utilize technology in a constructive way.”

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