Students from Fort Erie Elementary School recently hosted a film festival, showcasing their participation in an initiative to support and encourage youth from priority neighbourhoods in Niagara to go on to attend university or college.
The festival, now in its second year, was part of the Priority Neighbourhood Access Initiative, an after-school program developed and delivered by Youth University at Brock University and funded by the Region’s Niagara Prosperity Initiative.
It featured five short films created by student groups over three weeks. The first week was spent developing themes and writing storyboards, followed by a week of filming and a week of editing.
The Priority Access Initiative, led by Brock student volunteers, follows youth from Grade 6 to high school. It includes mentoring, tutoring and after-school programming one day a week, as well as hands-on activities to identify student interests and connect them to future careers, civic engagement and educational pathways.
Students and their parents also have the opportunity to visit Brock and learn more about every aspect of planning for post-secondary education.
“I’ve seen remarkable improvements not only in the students’ confidence and social skills, but also their mindset towards post-secondary education,” said mentor Josh Nunn, a second-year Brock student. “After each session, students leave with a new-found excitement and curiosity for a program or career that can be accessed through university or college.”
Watch the videos:
