University of West Indies (UWI) students with an interest in the creative industry, can now complete their community service for the Give Back Programme with the Barbados Independent Film Festival (BIFF).
Speaking at the official launch of BIFF 2023 on Friday, Festival Director De Carla Applewhaite announced the new partnership with the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training (METVT).
“I am pleased to announce that the festival, as a charity, has been given the green light to join the Give Back Programme managed by the Ministry of Education. This gives the opportunity for students in the Arts, those doing Event Management, Entertainment Management, the BFA Creative Arts between the Barbados Community College and the University of the West Indies Errol Barrow Centre, to come and join the team [and] learn from us,” she stated.
Applewhaite indicated that the festival was on a mission to rebrand and re-extend its reach, as they strived to become “bigger and better” every year.
In her address, she encouraged creatives enrolled at UWI to seize the opportunity provided to work with the festival, adding: “It’s a fantastic place where you can meet other creatives and to give back to the field.” She added that working with BIFF would allow those students to “strengthen their skillset in the fields that they are going into”.
The festival director expressed the pleasure at being able to extend the experience to students of UWI and partner with the Ministry of Education in the initiative.
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In 2018, when the Barbados Government reintroduced the payment of tuition fees for Barbadian students, the Give Back Programme was instituted, mandating all Barbadian students to volunteer at various approved entities across the island.
This year the launch of the Barbados Independent Film Festival was held at Local & Co Restaurant in Speightstown, St Peter on March 2. The festival will run from March 15 to 19.
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