Latest headlines: Alexis La Broi on helping young people enter the AV industry, Scott Tiner on privilege in the AV industry and more
September 21, 2021 | Volume: 14 | Issue: 18
In the world of AV in education, you’re around young people every day. Everything that you do helps them learn in the best environment possible. That’s why it’s essential to recognize that you are helping to shape the next generation of the workforce — and a part of that could be helping them realize they could have a role in the AV industry! Alexis La Broi’s latest column is all about creating opportunities for young people and helping them find a place in AV. So what can we be doing to make that support system? Read to find out.
For our second column, Scott Tiner writes about privilege in the AV industry. Privilege can be a hot topic — the vital part to me is recognizing what you have and using it to do good. But the first part is what I just said: recognizing it. It can quickly develop into a political argument, but I mean, take some time to think about your privilege and how you can look to your workspace for people from other walks of life. I would argue that Scott’s point is much like Alexis’. It’s about figuring out how to open the door for other voices and people from other walks of life in our industry.
Enjoy all that, and on a different note: Our 2021 Readers’ Choice nominations are open! So feel free to check that out and nominate away!
One of the reasons I advocate for internship and apprenticeship opportunities for young people is because of the opportunities that I experienced myself as a young person starting out. Those experiences led me on the career path that I have been on for the past 25 years. All that said, paid internships are vitally important for young people to help them find the paths that they’d like to pursue in life. How can we in the audiovisual industry create opportunities for young people to find their way to us?
I recently attended a graduation where the keynote speaker addressed the topic of privilege. Unfortunately, like so much of our dialog these days, the term was taken far out of context, and that out-of-context interpretation was then politicized. As I walked away, I was disheartened at the misinformation all the new graduates had just received. It did get me thinking about how we can combat this behavior. Since I only have a voice inside this industry, I figured it was as good a place as any to start. So, please indulge me for a few moments as I write about privilege in the AV industry, what it is and what we can do about it.