MAMA Youth Project 2020 trainees back to work in July

On the Abi Stephen’s Show panel at the SVG Europe Women Winter Networking Event, panelists including Bob Clarke, MAMA Youth Project, discuss role models and how to bring more women and BAME people into this industry

MAMA Youth Project has confirmed that its summer 2020 trainees will start the course by 20 July, following a hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.

The impact of the global pandemic has caused misery and despair for many of the 30 trainees set to start the MAMA Youth Project intensive production course just days before the country went into lockdown.

Since then the charity has taken to Zoom in a bid to boost morale with the trainees, providing a variety of training sessions and presentations covering everything from editing and production procedure to writing a brief.

Finally, in line with the latest government guidelines and with the support of Sky, BBC and the charity’s high profile industry partners, the show is now able to go on as lockdown restrictions in England have been lifted in stages over recent weeks.

Many of the candidates who originally applied for the project as early as November last year were recruited in February after a rigorous two-stage interview process. The trainees had already put plans in place to begin their new lives. In some cases they had relocated, giving up existing jobs and prioritising their savings.

Bob Clarke, CEO MAMA Youth Project, said: “The wellbeing of our alumni and new trainees, many of whom come from challenging backgrounds and suffer from mental health issues, has been paramount at this difficult time. Due to the coronavirus along with all other businesses, our charity has been subject to unprecedented circumstances.

“In addition to raising money through our Hardship Fund (Covid-19) and supporting existing alumni with their employment needs, we have been striving to manage the disappointment and rising anxiety of our newest trainees by keeping them engaged through Zoom training sessions and one to one’s. It is now more important than ever before to open doors for young people from all backgrounds and we are looking forward to resuming production, getting back to what we do best and leaving the virtual meeting room behind as our only source of contact,” concluded Clarke.