The Samosa Media project
Six students from The University of Manchester have pioneered a new internship programme designed to improve access to careers in the creative industries for students from under-represented backgrounds.
The Samosa Media Community Production Internship gave students first-hand experience of the media commissioning process, working with Samosa Media, an arts and media charity led by people from Black and minority ethnic (BME) and working-class backgrounds. The organisation delivers community and youth education programmes.
The internship is a collaboration between Samosa Media, the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah RACE Centre and Education Trust, and two University schools, the School of Social Sciences (SoSS) and the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures (SALC).
Throughout the programme, students explored questions around diversity in the media, arts and cultural sector, particularly whose voices are heard and how stories are told. They produced two short films examining issues of race, culture, youth, equality and integration in the North West.
The films were presented at a final showcase attended by academics from SoSS and SALC, alongside representatives from the Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Centre. The project was supervised by Samosa Media Director, Anwar Akhtar.
Reflecting on the experience, Anwar said: