VXM

The Villa Crossmedia (VxM) Project is a Pan-European youth engagement initiative working with the City of  Mechelen, Lessius Mechelen University College, CSV Media Clubhouse (Ipswich) and het Entrepot (Brugge). The project is supported by the European INTERREG IVA 2 Mers Seas Zeeën Programme.

VxM promotes and facilitates experience-based media education, literacy, participation, production and dissemination initiatives by connecting cross-border media centres. The target group is 16 to 25 year olds andit has particular foci on social inclusion, cultural identity and local empowerment.

The project is composed of three work packages: media literacy, media education and production and cultural identity.

The goal of the media literacy package is making young people aware of the risks as well as the opportunities linked to new media, especially the internet and social networking sites, through training and train the trainer sessions.

The media education and production package aims at setting up media centres or improving existing ones.  In addition, site visits were made to partners and other centres in Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK, youth exchanges are held and cross-border youth media production is encouraged.

The objective of the cultural identity package is to promote young people’s sense of identity in a multicultural world and provide opportunities for exchanges between young people in the North Sea region. Tools to reach this are video production training, a digital storytelling-project, a culture and diversity training package/toolkit and a final film festival.