BE UNIT: Improving the employability of young people in the audiovisual sector and their active citizenship

European project

January 2024 to December 2025

The BE UNIT project aims to improve the employability of young European adults in the film and video production labour market, as well as their active citizenship.

Context

At the root of this project, the partners identified two challenges facing young adults in Italy, Hungary and Belgium:

Some young adults have low employability profiles, even though they have interests and skills that could be used in a sphere of work close to their world (the world of audiovisual production and entertainment). These young people need to acquire and/or strengthen their transversal skills, build up their self-confidence and self-esteem, acquire and/or strengthen the technical skills that can be used in the audiovisual production labour market, learn about and find their way around the different professions that revolve around audiovisual production and the organisation of an event such as a video festival, and acquire quality experience that is enriching and can be used in the job search.
Many young adults need to get involved in initiatives that can improve their self-esteem and active citizenship. These young people need to compare themselves with their peers, to be involved in quality confrontation on subjects that interest them, and to build and/or strengthen their own reference network, particularly for young people who are more isolated and inactive.

In addition to these two challenges specific to young adults, a third challenge is the threat posed by the populism that has spread through European democracies in recent years: it is necessary to strengthen and spread democratic values among young adults (aged 18-25) in order to contribute to the process of building a solid European identity in the future.

Objectives

By implementing the BE UNIT project, the partnership aims to improve the employability of young adults in Italy, Hungary and Belgium in the film and video production labour market. The young people will organise an international video festival through specific training and activities involving a wider group of young people who will take part in video screenings and debates on specific issues. This will encourage commitment with issues that are important to them.
45 young people from 3 countries (15 from Belgium, 15 from Italy and 15 from Hungary) will work together to produce an international video festival. They will be supported and professionally trained by the project partners through face-to-face training and online training and mentoring. The young people from the three countries will organise and run the festival: video call and selection, organisation of events. During 3 OFF events, 300 other young people involved will select the videos, discuss their subjects and gather elements to share with decision-makers as part of an advocacy action ("Appeal").

The main results at the end of the project are :

Technical and vocational training, both face-to-face and online, for 45 young people wishing to work in the audiovisual sector.
Local events (Hungary, Italy, Belgium) involving a wider group of young people, encouraging debate and discussion and the selection of videos for the festival. An international video festival in Turin (Italy), produced entirely by young people with the support of experts.
An "Appeal" launched by young people to public decision-makers, co-constructed with young people, to give visibility to the issues addressed by the project, raise awareness of the challenges and put forward concrete suggestions to promote the social inclusion and socio-professional development of young people.

Target groups

The main target groups are young adults aged between 18 and 25 from Belgium, Italy and Hungary, in particular those who need to be reactivated and involved in society, those who are studying/working but who need to strengthen their networks, to be less isolated or who need help to enter the world of work and who have a specific interest in the world of audiovisual production and youth-related subjects.