Read on Twitter
Starting a film school in Kibera, I thought that all was needed is teaching the skills and voila, the 12 youth that graduated every 6 months would get jobs and their lives would change. I had to learn a few useful lessons, approaching it from my privileged perspective.
1. The first thing was keeping these 18-25 year olds in school for 6 months, with classes 6 days a week. Most of them in this age groups are either trying to make it in Nairobi & sending money back home and also take care of their own bills.
They did not have the luxury of taking 6 months off to attend film school, in as as much as it was free and we provided lunch. Who was going to pay their rent? Who was going to help their parents back home educate their siblings? Quickly realised that we needed to restrategize.
So sat down with some of them, worked out the BARE minimum they needed to survive those 6 months then went back to our donors. We came up with KES 4,000 a month stipend. This was enough for most to pay their rent (ranges about 500/~) and leave some to send home.
Whenever I told other people of this, the first question I got was, why would you pay someone to come to a free school that has state of the art equipment and topnotch training? Again, from your position of privilege, you do not see why.
And I mean topnotch training. These students had actresses like Alfie Woodard as mentors, scripting classes via Skype by Hollywood heavies like the writer of Shawshank Redemption. But all this meant nothing to them if they did not have a place to sleep.
2. Very few girls applied. Self esteem being a big factor because they didn& #39;t believe they could be camerawomen, editors, producers... So then we had to incorporate life skills and how to sell yourself in our training. Then, most had babies. Who would take care of them?
Which goes back to, the stipend we offered.
In the end donors did not still see the importance and they stopped funding the stipend. But then again, they are making decisions from some office in
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🇪🇺" title="Flagge der Europäischen Union" aria-label="Emoji: Flagge der Europäischen Union">.
Point is, question your privilege. And then do something about it.
In the end donors did not still see the importance and they stopped funding the stipend. But then again, they are making decisions from some office in
Point is, question your privilege. And then do something about it.
And on that, my students keep winning across the world. They taught me prolly away more than I taught them. But it was trial by fire for me than for them. And it was all worth it.
Step out of your privilege!!
Step out of your privilege!!
