• The Adobe Youth Voices Aspire Awards is an international juried media competition that recognizes projects that best illustrate the program’s ‘Create with Purpose’ philosophy. Winning submissions are original, high-quality youth-produced multimedia created to address critical issues and effect positive change.
• Submissions are now closed. All media has been submitted for youth by an educator in the Adobe Youth Voices educator network or by educators who have registered to Adobe Youth Voices Essentials. The Adobe Youth Voices educator network includes educators who are affiliated with partner organizations.
• Watch, Vote Share! A collection of 160 top media projects are on display via this website from May 4-June 18, 2012. A variety of prizes will be awarded in several categories based on judges and audience recommendations.

What do we hope to accomplish?

• We believe the media featured will demonstrate the incredible imagination, talent and skill of youth from throughout the world, using media to communicate their ideas, exhibit their potential, and take action in their communities.
• The Adobe Youth Voices Aspire Awards recognizes young people as change makers in our world and seeks to strengthen their voices by bringing their projects to a global audience. The Awards partners with other media competitions and festivals around the world to bring these compelling projects to thousands of viewers worldwide.

Adobe Youth Voices aims to empower youth in underserved communities around the globe with real-world experiences and 21st century tools to communicate their ideas, exhibit their potential, and take action in their communities.

Overview

Launched in June 2006, Adobe Youth Voices is the Adobe Foundation's global signature philanthropy program designed to provide youth in underserved communities with the critical skills they need to become active and engaged members of their communities and the world at large. The Adobe Foundation invests nearly US$8 million per year in the Adobe Youth Voices program, primarily through training, educational resources, and grants. The program also leverages software donations and employee volunteers from Adobe Systems Incorporated.

With a focus on empowering youth, Adobe Youth Voices supports young people in and out of school and encourages the use of cutting-edge multimedia tools to communicate and share their ideas, demonstrate their potential, and take action where they live.

The Adobe Youth Voices global network currently includes more than 750 sites and a large, expanding number of grantees and organizations in 50 countries. Since its inception, Adobe Youth Voices has engaged over 150,000 youth and 8,200 educators in schools and out-of-school programs.

Adobe Youth Voices sites engage talented educators of middle- and high school-age youth - in both school and out-of-school programs - in a yearlong professional development and support program. Adobe Youth Voices educators enhance their teaching strategies, gain new skills, and collaborate with like-minded educators and youth media experts to enable youth to express themselves using digital tools and to create media with a personally meaningful purpose.

Strategic Partners

Adobe Youth Voices operates throughout the world via a network of Strategic Partners, including school districts and nonprofit organizations that help bring the benefits of Adobe Youth Voices to a wider network of educators and youth in targeted geographies in both formal education and out-of-school settings. Strategic partners are selected based on their ability to scale the program through large networks of schools or community-based organizations, either in a geographic region or globally, and/or generate visibility for the Adobe Youth Voices program and the youth-produced work. Partner sites are selected to receive software donations and educators from those sites are provided comprehensive training in youth media making practices.

Adobe Youth Voices Grants

Through a competitive grant process Adobe Youth Voices funds youth media organizations that showcase a diversity of approaches to media education. Grantees facilitate exceptional youth-produced projects on issues relevant to young people, and partner with the Adobe Foundation on exhibition opportunities.

Adobe Youth Voices Essentials is a set of open curricula and resources based on the best practices of the Adobe Youth Voices program. It includes downloadable sample curriculum and activities for video, multimedia, digital art, web, animation, or audio projects. Adobe Youth Voices Essentials is open to all educators to take advantage of a set of proven curricula and resources without the application process.

Engaging young people in exciting and meaningful new ways, Adobe Youth Voices provides an unparalleled opportunity for middle school and high school youth to communicate their concerns, aspirations, and vision. Young people who may have been feeling disengaged learn how to think creatively, communicate effectively, and work collaboratively -- all critically important skills that can help them attain a competitive edge in school, their careers, and life.

Enhancing educators' skills and resources, the program provides comprehensive professional development in teaching strategies that incorporate cutting-edge digital tools. Those who work with youth can learn new ways to encourage the use of 21st century communications skills in telling stories that make a real impact.

Exhibiting participants' work is a key element of the Adobe Youth Voices program. The program provides youth with forums in which to share their vision and voice for a public purpose -- via traveling art exhibits, film screenings, and festivals; on the Internet; in publications; and through other local and global venues.