A 21-year-old photographer from the small Northern Cape town of Aggeneys has been awarded first place after completing a multimedia skills development programme designed to empower youth in the community.
21-YEAR-old photographer Sue-Relle Maasdorp, from the small Northern Cape town of Aggeneys, has been awarded first place after completing a multimedia skills development programme designed to empower youth in the community.
The year-long programme is funded by the local Aggeneys Solar and Konkoonsies II Solar plants and facilitated by Phanda Studios.
The programme has not only up-skilled unemployed youth but has also boosted small businesses in the multimedia space.
The talented Maasdorp is now focused on registering her own multimedia business, while actively collaborating with other creatives from the surrounding area and providing them with the opportunity to work with her on freelance photography and videography jobs.
She pointed out that the collaboration will afford the youth an opportunity to earn an income and gain valuable experience.
Maasdorp said the recently completed programme has been truly life-changing for her and she has also been able to change the mindset of her community.
“People in my community do not consider multimedia as a viable career path that one can succeed in. The skills I acquired, particularly in videography, have not only elevated me and my business but have also allowed me to offer more services to the community I serve,” said Maasdorp.
“The programme assisted me immensely, imparting not only videography and photography skills but also crucial knowledge about the business field and how to successfully run my own business. My ultimate career goal is to establish my own business and this programme has been instrumental in preparing me for that journey.”
The programme consisted of five participants representing the communities of Aggeneys, Witbank, Pofadder, Pella and Onseepkans.
The participants were evaluated on their progress, motivation and dedication to the programme.
In the end, they were required to submit a final video about one of the projects supported by Aggeneys Solar and Konkoonsies II Solar’s economic development programme, for judging by a team of their staff.
Maasdorp’s submission stood out for its exceptional storytelling, creativity and overall video quality.
The prizes won by Maasdorp included a comprehensive videography kit containing a hybrid camera, video tripod, video lights, video editing PC, mouse, software, microphones, memory card, hard drive and editing headset.
“Taking first place is a remarkable achievement and I take great pride in applying the knowledge I gained in my projects. What resonated most with me about this competition was the platform it created for the art of photography and videography to be recognised,” said Maasdorp.
