Member Spotlight: iKasi Creative Empowers Rural Youth

iKasi Creative offers unique, 5-day orientation programmes in the creative industry for youth in small towns. The team partners with funders in order to bring the 5-day programme to grade 11’s during one of their breaks and 18 to 35-year-olds who have their Matric. iKasi Creative programmes equip youth with skills in digital media that are relevant and immediately empowering – bridging the digital divide in rural communities.
 
In their schools programme, iKasi introduces grade 11’s to the many career choices in film, TV and digital media. The team delivers training in remote towns and access for those who are unable to travel to the cities or who can’t afford tertiary education. The skills programme and learnship is accredited by the MICT Seta and focusses on ‘your community’ and entrepreneurship. This means learners can begin creating their own content straight away on their smartphones and other accessible technology.
 
In early 2021, iKasi Creative celebrated a successful series of film and TV orientation courses around the Western Cape. These included programmes in Plettenberg Bay, Worcester, Riebeek Valley, Humansdorp and Velddrif. iKasi Creative have 3 fully accredited skills programmes lined up for the remainder of the year in Worcester, Saldanha Bay, and Humansdorp. Once a learner has completed the 5-day orientation, they are eligible to apply and learn the fundamentals of making a short  and after graduating with a certificate, they will have the opportunity to work on professional documentary sets.
 
The orientation courses not only provide valuable information on how content is produced and etiquette on a film set, but also provides knowledge about creating characters and storytelling. Learners leave with the ability to use smartphones to create content, an awareness of careers in film and TV, the various departments, and an understanding of the script to screen process. Learners will also have the opportunity to engage with their community and identify heritage stories. This will then help them to both understand the past and move powerfully into the future.

How can IPO members get involved?

  • We’d like to partner with production companies to sponsor a learner. We have a strong focus on entrepreneurship and aim to have learners who complete our programmes stay in their hometowns – as entrepreneurs or filling digital media marketing positions in local businesses. Your contributions will go towards the full cycle of the learner development.
  • Your contribution can be allocated to your BBBEE obligations, we are eligible for accredited and unaccredited Skills Development spend or Enterprize Development spend. We are also a public benefit organisation and can issue an 18A certificate for your donation. 
  • iKasi Creative hosts bi-monthly online workshops called The Spark Sessions for our rural youth network – it is also an open platform. We are always looking for new mentors who want to give back in this way, so please contact us.
  • We would also like to reach out to producers who are on location with productions in rural areas to please contact us. We’ve found there are more and more productions taking place out of the city centres and we can assist to make up your interns and trainees from some of these areas (Eastern Cape, West Coast, Garden Route).

Please contact IPO member Lika Berning on in**@ik********.com or +27 (0)81 219 3526.