About AMES

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The Access to Media Education Society (AMES) is a registered non-profit dedicated to helping people cultivate individual, group and mass communications skills.

Our unique media access programs, formulated and implemented by our staff and mentors, put the tools of media creation in the hands of those from under-represented groups, enabling them to put forward their own stories and ideas, and help to increase public understanding towards issues of social exclusion and social justice.

These programs demonstrate our commitment to a key belief: that when dealing with marginalization, you should look to the margins. The message is strongest when those directly affected are given the chance to speak for themselves.

AMES is guided by a Board of Directors that includes teachers, professors, community workers, students, film-makers, artists and activists.

AMES' mission is to fulfil its Statement of Purpose by:

• providing broad-based and subsidized access to media training & technology
• collaborating with other organizations to design and deliver community-based media programming
• promoting media literacy & ethically-responsible image production
• providing hands-on opportunities for people to use video as a tool for education and self-advocacy
• circulating student productions within a range of public areas

Educational projects such as PEER PERSPECTIVES were born with these principles in mind: they take the grassroots visions of our graduates into the classroom, to address issues of anti-racism, anti-homophobia and Aboriginal culture, with the assistance of peer educators who share their own experience of social exclusion.