Digit'ELLES © Africulturban
Close to 200 young women trained in digital creativity through UNESCO|Sabrina Ho "You Are Next"
29 Mar 2021
“Having a larger female presence in the digital creative industry is crucial. We need female perspectives to cover community issues”, says Maryam Sa’ady-Awwad of Palestine, one of the many beneficiaries of the UNESCO project. Indeed, UNESCO’s Global Report 2018 ReIShaping Cultural Policies remarks that women less connected to the Internet and have less access to digital literacy and skills training.
To address this gender gap in the digital environment, UNESCO launched in 2018 a pioneer initiative in the digital creative industries UNESCO|Sabrina Ho initiative “You Are Next”. Between 2018 and 2020, “You Are Next” trained 184 young women with new digital skills to stimulate their creativity.
The UNESCO|Sabrina Ho initiative “You Are Next” is the result of a strategic partnership with Ms Sabrina Ho, CEO of Chiu Yeng Culture, to provide opportunities for women in the digital creative industries. Ms Ho is an ardent believer in the empowerment of women, especially young women: “As the Founder and Managing Director of Chiu Yeng Culture (CYC), I focus on the development of art and culture and I am constantly working to promote young artists. Gender equality affects us all and extends all the way up to the wealthiest and most glamourous fields we know.”
Improving technical skills from music to virtual reality
The “You Are Next” initiative funded 4 projects in the following 4 countries.
In Senegal, the project Digit’ELLES enhanced the professional competence of 18 young women musicians through a comprehensive digital training programme, emphasizing on digital proficiency such as mix audio technology to address the technical barriers that women musicians often face.
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WAVE © Theater Day Productions
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#BeYourVoice © Teatro de Aire
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Digital Arts Academy © Bactria Cultural Centre
Focusing on women empowerment
Enhancing women’s vocational capacity can boost their employment opportunities. Beyond practical skills, “You Are Next” initiative has given young women a greater sense of confidence and independence. “Three participants received job offers from the companies they interned for, and others moved on to other organizations in pursuit of a higher-paid position,” says Niyoza Ayni, project manager of Digital Arts Academy, through which 21 beneficiaries secured a work placement at the end of the programme.
Inspiring stories from project beneficiaries and female role models in the creative world are widely shared in a dedicated website. A series of interviews with prominent women in the cultural and creative industries from China, France, Kenya, Mexico, Republic of Korea and Senegal address a common concern - the lack of female role models, and to share experiences with the new generation. A series of Snapchat shows and four episodes of podcast targeting the young generation have been produced, featuring remarkable women including Zeinixx, Senegal's first female graffiti artist, and Uèle Lamore, one of the 21 women conductors in France. These empowering messages have attracted significant viewers under the age of 24.
My recommendation is just to do it and to persist in your passions and dreams. One important thing is to find female allies, mentors and collaborators who really support female filmmakers.
Wanuri Kahiu (Kenya), filmmaker nominated at Cannes Film Festival.
An online conference “You Are Next” held on 25 November 2020 further reinforced the message of hope. The conference was opened by Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of the UNESCO and Sabrina Ho. A wide range of inspiring women shared their experiences through two debate sessions on “Digital creativity and women entrepreneurship” and “Gender Equality Policy in the Asia Pacific”.
“You Are Next” is more than an initiative to beneficiaries – it makes their dreams come true. After completing the training, a Palestinian beneficiary, Aya Al Matrabiee said: “I want to share my dream with you - It’s to build my own company in the field of digital media contents.” The digital proficiency has also helped the beneficiaries during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ghalí Martínez’s, project manager of #BeYourVoice explains: “I am thankful to the UNESCO|Sabrina Ho Initiative because it has prepared us to face the challenges of our times.”
UNESCO|Sabrina Ho Initiative has fostered a future generation of female leaders, resulted in a more professionalized creative workforce, and raised stronger female voices in the digital creative industries. There is no doubt that this initiative, funded by Ms Sabrina Ho, has made a decisive contribution to promoting gender equality in the culture and creative sectors.
Watch the video “Women and Creativity”