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Adobe aims to inspire youth community involvement
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Our nation's youngest citizens have the potential to change the world, whether they're volunteering with organizations to help further good causes or using their own skills to make a difference. The Adobe Youth Voices Community aims to help teenagers discover their own creative abilities, and hopes to teach them the ways by which their art can have an impact on the lives of others.
According to its website, the initiative challenges students to "Create with Purpose," or use technology to craft artistic products to inspire change within the community. By making media with a purpose, the younger generation has the opportunity to create products that will engage individuals and inspire them to take action.
By incorporating Adobe products into education - such as through the implementation of Adobe Illustrator classes or InDesign classes - teachers can provide students with the tools by which they can create inspiring projects. The AYV stresses that students who take part in this program not only have a chance to blend the knowledge they gain from their traditional classroom with their own life skills, but they also have an increased awareness of prevalent issues across the world.
Adobe Youth Voices Awards send call to action
The AYV holds an annual contest for young persons interested in the creation of media. This competition calls for media projects that were both made for educational purposes, and raise awareness for any issue currently facing their community. Applicants must be between the ages of 13 and 19.
For the 2014 AYV Awards, individuals must form original works that both display artistic ability and call for action on a certain topic. Michelle Yates, the Adobe director of corporate social responsibility and Adobe Foundation executive director, explained in an AYV news release that this project is essential for showing students the potential art can have on their lives.
"The winning projects illustrate the power of creativity and expression among young people, especially when they have access to digital tools that help bring their ideas to life," Yates said. "This program focuses on encouraging youth to develop the creative skills that will help them be more deeply engaged in their education in the short term, and better prepared to succeed long term in a rapidly evolving global economy."
Categories for submission allow students to express creativity
There are several categories in which participants can submit their works, most of which require a knowledge of one or more of Adobe's graphic design programs. They include animation, documentary, narrative, poetry, music video, photo essay and poster campaign. Students have the ability to explore the range of Adobe creation programs for their submissions, meaning that they can combine one or more to craft the perfect project.
Categories are not limited to one media form - for example, a student submitting to the poetry contest could create either a multimedia video to bring their poem to life, or they could use Photoshop or Illustrator to create an image accompanying their writing. Each submission must fall within the basic guidelines presented by the topic area, but they are not limited tool-wise.
All ages can benefit from graphics training
Participating in courses to increase knowledge of these art programs can benefit people of all ages - Adobe training is not limited to one specific demographic. By starting education early, students can obtain a more thorough understanding of certain topics, and they can continue to hone their skills as they progress through their learning journeys. However, older adults - including business professionals and individuals just breaking into the working world - can gain from these courses as well.
About the author
Christopher Smith is president of American Graphics Institute. He is the co-author of Adobe Creative Cloud for Dummies and more than 10 other books on design and digital publishing. He served as publisher and editor of the Digital Classroom book series, which has sold more than one million books on topics relating to InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Premiere Pro and other Creative Cloud apps. At American Graphics Institute, he provides strategic technology consulting to marketing professionals, publishers designers, and large technology companies including Google, Apple, Microsoft, and HP. An expert on web analytics and digital marketing, he also delivers Google Analytics classes along with workshops on digital marketing topics. Christopher did his undergraduate studies the at the University of Minnesota, and then worked for Quark, Inc. prior to joining American Graphics Institute where he has worked for more than 20 years.