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building creative momentum
for change

About Us

What is the Access to Media Education Society?

AMES boosts the imaginations and skillsets of young digital activists and creative change-makers by providing them with unique opportunities to MAKE and SHARE meaningful media.

The work, workshops and educational materials created through our programs are used in schools and other public settings to expand horizons, prompt courageous conversations and build momentum for change.

Acknowledging Shared Territories

AMES was born on the unsurrendered territory of the Penelakut people, and other Hul’q’umi’num speaking Nations who hold rights and responsibilities in and around the place that’s come to be known as Galiano Island. Most of our projects collaborators, and participants hail from the stolen and unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and Sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) nations, colonially known as Vancouver.

Recent News

accesstomedia

Supporting youth-led social change through media arts 🎥⚡️

When we slow down it’s lovely what we can see in

When we slow down it’s lovely what we can see in each other 👁️⚡️👁️ Next time you’re having a vulnerable conversation or just want a deeper connection try this empathy exercise here between Jennie from @feministforest and our very own @n__effy 🙏

We ran into actor and comedian @notkevinvidal who

We ran into actor and comedian @notkevinvidal who candidly shared with us how seeking diverse and queer spaces has helped him be more fully himself ✨
What do spaces of belonging feel like for you?

Curious about our neighbours’ views on questions

Curious about our neighbours’ views on questions we often contemplate, Neffy (Imani’s voice in our upcoming game) ventures to the parks for some heartfelt discussions
🌳💭🌱💬🌳

🌟 Meet Taea, the incredible voice behind Allie

🌟 Meet Taea, the incredible voice behind Allie in Cross Roads – our upcoming interactive graphic novel! 🌟 Her lived experiences as an Indigenous woman, and acknowledgment of her own ‘white passing privilege’, bring authenticity, nuance and integrity to this innovative project, designed to help us build the skills we need to navigate difficult conversations. 📚

Never a dull moment with this crew 🌟 behind the

Never a dull moment with this crew 🌟 behind the scenes of our voice recording sessions for the upcoming Cross Roads app
✨🚶🏽‍♀️🚶‍♂️🚶🏾‍♀️🚶🏽‍♂️✨
Cross Roads is a youth-made interactive visual novel that helps folks flex their anti-discrimination noticing, naming and responding muscles.

“When it was revealed that 215 unmarked graves w

“When it was revealed that 215 unmarked graves were uncovered at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, I burst into tears. I, like many others, were justifiably angry, devastated, and overcome with grief for these children who were forced into these ‘schools’ by the Canadian state as a means to destroy our culture, language and way of life. I see and feel the direct consequences of these violent actions brought on by colonialism, which continues to this day with disastrous consequences.
Today, over 53.8% of children in foster care are Indigenous. We’re in a climate crisis which is a direct result of the forced removal of Indigenous people from their homelands, land dispossession, the extraction of resources, and capitalism. I’ve come to witness how inculcated the vast majority of Canadians are to this false narrative of progress in which the Settlers brought with them, and that needs to change.
I made #CancelCanadaDay as an outlet for the rage I felt, but to also draw attention to how these colonial systems are embedded into our everyday lives, perpetuated by the Canadian state and its enforcers/institutions. Those 215 unmarked graves are just the tip of the iceberg. We can’t cancel an entire country, but how can we have a meaningful Canada Day or Truth and Reconciliation if we aren’t even halfway through the ‘truth’ part of it all?” – @5uper.nova
𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐲, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥.

Access to Media (AMES), and the Institute for Mult

Access to Media (AMES), and the Institute for Multidisciplinary Ecological Research In The Salish Sea (IMERSS) are looking to fill 2 short term positions to help move forward a series of interconnected activities we are working on in the areas of:
- Indigenous centred environmental education.
- Cultural mapping and biodiversity monitoring.
- Hul’q’umi’num language learning.
- Reconciliation-action-related research.
- Knowledge-sharing: using technology to share knowledge about local habitats.
As an Education Consultant/Researcher, your creative input and vision will be valued, and your experience expanded through this 2 month position (with options to extend) that involves hands-on and meaningful application of your emerging interests and capacities.
Start Date: June 2023.
Remuneration: $21-26 /h (commensurate with skills and experience).
Hours: 25-30 hours a week for 2 months (with possibility of extension).
Eligible candidates must be:
- Be between the ages of 15-30 years of age at the start of the position.
- Be legally entitled to work in Canada (either a citizen, permanent resident, or a person with refugee status - work permits are not eligible).
- Reside in British Columbia.
AMES hiring practices reflect the diverse communities we serve. As such, we strongly encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds and abilities to apply.
Link in bio for full job description!

We’re hiring! We’re currently looking for a st

We’re hiring! We’re currently looking for a student to play a key role in promoting FLEX: Digital Exercises to Boost Creative + Critical reFLEXivity, one of our latest initiatives. FLEX is a suite of digital resources designed to increase people’s capacity to notice, name and respond to inequities in everyday life. Cross Roads, a centrepiece of the FLEX suite will be launching this fall.
As the Marketing + Outreach Coordinator, your creative input and vision will be valued, and your experience expanded through this 2 month period (with options to extend) that involves hands-on and meaningful application of your emerging marketing and digital strategizing capacities.
Start date: Early-mid June 2023.
Remuneration: $22-26 /hour (commensurate with skills and experience).
Hours: 22-28 hours a week for 2 months (with a possibility of extension).
Eligible applicants must:
- Be between the ages of 15-30 years of age at the start of the position.
- Have completed post-secondary studies.
- Be legally entitled to work in Canada (either a citizen, permanent resident, or a person with refugee status - work permits are NOT eligible).
Our hiring practices reflect the diverse communities we serve. As such, we strongly encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds and abilities to apply.
Link in bio for full description!
#jobopportunity #marketing #mediaarts #vancouverhiring #antiracismwork #canadasummerjobs

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Sizzling Summer Update

We know it’s been a minute since we last caught up, but rest assured, our silence has been the result of some …

Announcing the ChARTing Change Art Contest Awardees!

In May, AMES selected the art awardees for the ChARTing Change Contest! See more about the six chosen below!

Designing Digital Storytelling Programs

During our initial research interviews, mentors and facilitators shared what they’d learned about Community Digital Storytelling (CDS), based on their years of experience.

How Mentors Support Community Co-Creation

Community Digital Storytelling grows out of our experiences in the world, shared as stories. Our strategy, as mentors developing new approaches to storytelling, is to create and hold open a receptive and welcoming space.

Healing In and For Communities Through Community Digital Storytelling

By Deblekha Guin, Lorna Boschman and Venay Felton This article was originally published on Digital Stories Canada at https://digitalstories.ca/healing-in-and-for-communities-through-community-digital-storytelling/ on June 25, 2020. …

Healing power of community digital storytelling

By Deblekha Guin, Lorna Boschman and Venay Felton This article was originally published on Digital Stories Canada at https://digitalstories.ca/healing-power-of-community-digital-storytelling/ on June 18, …