Over the thirty year history of Focus Media Arts Centre, it has been the principle concern of the organization to chronicle the story of Regent Park. Through print, radio, and video Focus Media Arts Centre has engaged with a range of diverse communities to promote inclusivity through the application of a socially just framework.
Many of our collaborations have included projects with youth volunteers, coop students, and internships from various colleges and universities. And perhaps it is in these instances that we can best measure the influence and impact that Focus Media Arts Centre is able to generate. I would like to take this opportunity to present an impact statement from one of our youth who is currently working as coop students at Focus. Miguel Ventura is high school student and had the following to say about his involvement with Focus Media Arts Centre.
“My name is Miguel Ventura and I've been a co-op student at Focus Media Arts Centre for the past 3 months.From what I have seen during my time here, the content produced by Focus Media Arts centre has spread awareness to residents of Regent Park about various social issues and events involving the community. These included a municipal election, a United Nations event, and an environmental protest (The Global Climate Strike). In documenting these events, Focus Media Arts Centre enables the residents of Regent Park to learn about what is happening within their community, and to be more involved in it.” Miguel Ventura
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About LJI
LJI Impact is the section of commediaportal.ca where the journalists and their organizations participating in CACTUS' Local Journalism Initiative can share their greatest successes.
Through the written stories, photos and videos you see in the LJI Impact section, you'll be able to read first hand accounts about how the presence of a community journalist is making a difference in communities across Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative and the Community Media Portal.
The Community Media Portal is a gateway to the audio-visual media created by community media centres across Canada. These include traditional community TV and radio stations, as well as online and new media production centres.
Community media are not-for-profit production hubs owned and operated by the communities they serve, established both to provide local content and reflection for their communities, as well as media training and access for ordinary citizens to the latest tools of media production, whether traditional TV and radio, social and online media, virtual reality, augmented reality or video games.
The Community Media Portal has been funded by the Local Journalism Initiative (the LJI) of the Department of Canadian Heritage, and administered by the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS) in association with the Fédération des télévisions communautaires autonomes du Québec (the Fédération). Under the LJI, over 100 journalists have been placed in underserved communities and asked to produce civic content that underpins Canadian democratic life.
