Avid Learning Collective Awards Six Educational Organizations For Advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Through Media Creation

Avid and the customer-led Avid Community Association (ACA) debuted the Avid Learning Collective program to gift professional media creation technologies, training and certification to not-for-profit educational organizations that have proven to inspire, engage and activate creators in underrepresented communities. Avid and the ACA also introduced the six inaugural award recipients, identified for their outstanding missions and achievements: Boston Arts Academy, Ghetto Film School, Girls Make Beats, Immersive & Inclusive Audio Institute, MAMA Youth Project and The Last Mile.

Each year, the Avid Learning Collective will welcome six additional educational organizations and initiatives that demonstrate the intention and ability to influence the current state of diversity, equity and inclusion through student advancement. For a period of three years, these recipients will enjoy membership in the global Avid Learning Partner program, which brings licenses for Avid creative tools, teacher training and course materials for students as well as peer and professional networking to cultivate visibility, mentoring and job opportunities for students.

The call for applications for the 2022 Avid Learning Collective program awards is now open through Feb. 15, 2022. Criteria and application form are available here. Applications will be reviewed by a diverse committee of accomplished music, film and television professionals who sit on the ACA executive board as well as Avid employees. Award recipients will be announced in late spring 2022.

Bryan Castle, Avid’s director of learning partnerships, said: “The Avid Learning Collective is the brainchild of our ongoing collaboration and exploration with truly impassioned educators and media professionals all over the world who want to make the media industry more diverse and accommodating. We’re thrilled to get out into the open today and to get more eyes on the new opportunities we’re presenting to lift up organizations that show disadvantaged people they can become powerful storytellers.”

Helen Killeen, director of production for non-scripted UK, ITV Studios, and an Avid Community Association executive board vice chair, added: “Our profession can do a lot more to think outside the box to ensure that opportunity reaches the people and communities helped by the extraordinary, sharply focused Avid Learning Collective participants. It’s exciting to see how rapidly this program will marshal the care and influence of my colleagues to expose the talents of creative people whose ambitions and experiences go largely unseen.”