CONTACT
Youth & Media Programme of the European Cultural Foundation, Jan van Goyenkade 5, 1075 HN Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Telephone +31 (0)20 573 38 68, mail.

PEOPLE
Vivian Paulissen (programme manager)
Puck de Klerk (consultant)

THE YOUTH & MEDIA PROGRAMME
From 2010 to 2012 the Youth and Media Programme of the European Cultural Foundation will build on the achievements of StrangerFestival, by continuing to support and showcase emerging young talent.
We are developing a broader programme and also launching new partnership initiatives to widen exposure and increase media literacy by and for young people.

Our objective is to ensure an inclusive look into the realities of Europe by collecting and transmitting the perspectives of young people to a broad audience and by providing access where it is not evident.

In line with our thematic focus on Narratives for Europe, we seek young people voicing their ideas, opinions and unique perspectives. Through setting up strategic international partnerships with cultural organisations we want to create a Europe space for ermeging young professionals, cultural orgnisations and mainstream media platforms.

The programme’s features include:
* Documentary workshops and training for young people in Europe in conjunction with media and cultural partners
* Documentary focused event in collaboration with the International Documentary Film Festival (IDFA) in Amsterdam
* Online documentary platform for knowledge sharing, presentation and the archival of media productions including the StrangerFestival archive
* Research into media and innovation linking to youth related issues
* Grants for the development of media projects for youth

We are currently designing a new website for the Youth and Media programme.

THE EUROPEAN CULTURAL FOUNDATION 
supports high-quality artistic activities and cultural cooperation across different countries, borders and boundaries. We advocate for culture, helping to create better conditions for the arts and campaigning to change political attitudes to culture at EU level. And we also help provide better access to cultural information.
Our commitment is to the whole of Europe and its neighbouring regions, though naturally we target those places where we believe support is most needed. We focus on making sure that the many diverse creative voices of Europe are heard and make an impact.
We have a special commitment to the new generation of Europeans. Many of our activities are geared towards bringing out the
creativity in young people of all backgrounds. www.eurocult.org

THE VIDEO REPUBLIC
Cheap digital technology and broadband access have broken the monopoly held by production companies and broadcasters over moving-images. Videos made by young people spread quickly across the internet, television and festivals. This new place where videos are being created, published and exchanged is dominated by young people and called the ´Video Republic´. The European Cultural Foundation commissioned UK based think-tank Demos to expore the contours of this new public space. The resulting report outlines the inhabitants, shapes and regulations of the 'Video Republic'. The report gives teachers, cultural operators, the media industry, parents and journalists a fresh take and a better appreciation of what makes young European videomakers tick.
Download the full report from Demos called the ´Video Repuplic´ here and/or watch the video here.

STRANGERFESTIVAL (2008 and 2009)
supported young peoples’ video explorations on issues that matter to them, connecting these voices and the people behind them across Europe. StrangerFestival organized activities for talented young video-makers between the ages of 15 and 25, and found ways to show their work to a broad audience.
StrangerFestival organized 25 workshops in 20 European countries, a competition and a travelling exhibition featuring the best films from these budding artists. All video's on this website are part of Europe's story. StrangerFestival was a core project of the European Cultural Foundation (ECF). 

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