Digital Media
Bradóg has been using video making and animation as sustainable youth work practices for over four years now. The experiences and skills we have built up in this area greatly enhance our work with young people and have provided many young Dubliners with the opportunities to express their own creativity and document their own personal and local experience. We have customised a series of media methods that young people can use to make a variety of media artefacts from fun throw-away exercises to large projects such as documentaries or broadcast television programmes.
The following activities were significant projects that have helped shape Bradóg's media development:
Developmental media:
To introduce young people to media activities, Bradóg uses the methods of photo-speak, photo-narrative, table-top media, documentary and straight forward video making. These methods can be used in a variety of different combinations to make anything from forty second photo-stories to half hour youth magazine programmes. The methods we use depend on the needs of the specific youth groups or individuals. We consider their age, level of motivation, attention span, competance and level of experience. We call this approach to non-formal media activities as the Media stacks approach.
These methods are particulary good at providing the young people with an 'instant' result and often the media project can be finished in one or two sessions. For this reason the methods work well in clubs and after-school groups. The video below gives an overview of the Media Stacks approach to digital media as demonstrated in an international training workshop delivered by Bradog and EMN in 2009:
Table-Top Method Photo-Story Method Stop-Motion Method
Local Media Collaborations:
Over the years Bradóg has collaborated with neighbouring youth organisations and related services in order to create media that is relevant to young people. Collaboration gives young people the chance to meet other young people from oher communities and share equipment and expertise. Bradóg has partnered with the following organisations on media projects:
- YPAR Filming of YEPP conference in June 2008
- NYP2 Table-top video making for FNYPAR group
- FYRC Youth worker media training
- Ballyfermot YS Youth worker media training
- Reel Youth Youth video-making workshop & screening
- SNUG Teenage Drug Awareness Website material
- Cinemagic Dublin based film Festival
- GGDA Documentary
- Community ICT Promotional Video
Community ICT Project NYP2 - FNYPAR Group The D.A.I.S.Y Campaign
Festivals & Competitions:
There are now many video and media competitions specifically for young people. Bradóg youth groups regularly produce vidoes for specific competitions. The specific theme, timeframe and prize provide good motivation and focus for young people. In 2006 Bradóg youth members from Dominick Street came runners-up in the Cube of Ibsen International Film Festival, in Norway. Bradóg frequently send entries into such festivals as:
- Fresh Film Festival - Limerick
- RUSH Film Festival - Dublin
- EMN Short Film Festival - EU
- Stranger Festival - Holland
- Thrash Festival - Bosnia
The Door - Norway 2006 The Tourist - Italy 2009 Reel Youth 2004
Broadcast Media:
In 2008, Bradóg undertook a large television broadcast project called Da Gist. This was Bradóg’s first broadcast project and comprised of four, thirty minute lifestyle magazine shows made for young people by young people.
The shows were made by fourteen young people from Bradóg and Lourdes CTC over a six month period. The group also completed an accredited training course in media production as preparation (Video Expression Fetac level3).
Bradóg underook the project in partnership with the Digital Hub and DCTV (Dublin City Community Television). The funding for the project was made available through the sound and vision scheme made available by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland.
Da Gist Episode 1.1 Da Gist Episode 1.2 Da Gist Episode 1.3
International Media Projects:
Bradóg has been an active member of the Empower Media Network (EMN) since 2005. EMN was born out of the ever growing interest young people show towards digital media and the web. It is an international network of youth workers, media practitioners and young people who use digital media as a tool for youth and community empowerment. EMN was developed within the Youth Empowerment Partnership Programme (YEPP) which is supported by a number of European and American foundations and is being implemented in 16 sites in 6 countries. Almost 120 young people from Bradóg have participated in EMN exchange projects over the last four years. During that time Bradóg has developed strong relationships with other youth services and youth media 
organisations from all over Europe.
Some of the most significant EMN projects are those that were conceived and hosted by Bradóg. In particular the Seen and Heard multi-lateral exchange in 2006 and the training workshop Media Stacks in 2009. These projects allowed Bradóg to develop further our approach to non-formal media activities. These projects were funded through the European Union Fund for non-formal youth education - the Youth-In-Action programme and facilitated by the Irish National EU funding agency - Leargas.
Seen & Heard Exchange - 2006 Seen & Heard Exchange - 2006 EMN Esker Workshop - 2008
'Cookie' Projects:
'Cookie' projects is the name given to projects that are not easily categorised, projects that are fun and a little bit crazy! It provides young people with an opportunity to use media in a creative and unusual way. Often cookie media seeks to interact with the general public or other art forms. A great example of this is the Marsh mallow project or the Valentines Day Heart Booth.
Valentines Day Project 2008 Marsh Mallow Challenge 2007 Music Video Spoof 2009