April 26, 2024
In the summer of 2023, the Oyateki Partnership’s communications sought to increase awareness of our initiatives and what we do beyond our campuses. Recognizing the potential of communicating with video, we aimed to not only raise awareness of the Partnership but also gain understanding of the importance of our collaborative efforts.
Once the development of the video began, the process became a collaborative one. With consultation from project leads, coordinators, communications leads and leadership from the three partners, and in co-creation with the film producers, a script and a cast of students were established.
It is remarkable just how much coordination, management and time goes into producing something that ultimately takes only a few minutes to watch. Of the three, time may be the most important and unrelenting factor: time needed for creativity, discussion, and edits, for schedules to align and post-production, and so on.
Time can also work to one’s advantage, like last July when we had been experiencing the hot weather of what was turning out to be a very dry year. We had scheduled the majority of the filming to occur over two full days. As luck would have it, one of those became the first day of rain that the area had received in weeks! Thankfully, the seasoned film team pivoted and used the rain to their advantage in the scenes and of course, it all worked out.
They say that timing is everything, and that surrounding yourself with good people is important in achieving a goal. We were lucky to have both of those those elements in the making of this project, but the real heroes have to be the students appearing in the video: Andrew, Trinity and Dylan.
They agreed to take time out of their lives, be in front of the camera and open their homes to a film crew. More importantly they had the courage and resilience to tell of their personal challenges, and of the supports they received. Their stories describe the reality of the barriers that exist today, and illustrate how partnerships like Oyateki’s are helping to move them toward brighter futures.
Our story is really the collection of all the stories of those who have been supported though projects of the Partnership.
We are finding pathways for Indigenous youth toward post-secondary education and employment. What youth achieve through these opportunities in education and beyond will help the generations to come.
Working on this project and with all of the individuals involved was very rewarding; we hope that you find watching the video just as meaningful. See it for yourself here: https://youtu.be/IThUvq6kfII
Some views from behind the scenes:
