Our Computer and Media Project is always on the go! With things constantly changing and moving forward, this is the project that keeps everyone up to date and in touch with all that’s happening at Caring For Life. We do all this through our monthly prayer letter known as the bulletin, through our web site and by producing “up to the minute” DVDs.
The young people involved in this project are able to assist in all areas of the work of CMP, such as simple graphic design, filmmaking, copying, printing and producing DVDs, website updating, monthly mail shots, assisting with computer maintenance and general office duties.
The media side of the project has really moved forward, especially with the latest equipment and software and there is always a new film in the making. The men who work on this project have a keen interest in being involved and we take time to help them do this by encouraging and teaching them. We do this by breaking down each task into manageable stages so that there is a continued sense of achievement and pride in what they are doing.
There are many times of fun and laughter in the office when watching some of the out-takes, especially when things don’t go quite as they should or if someone gets the giggles when trying to talk in front of the camera. It’s extremely rewarding to know those on the project have had a part in the finished product that may go out on a presentation, or that more than 4,000 people will view the DVD, if it’s one of our annual productions made especially for our supporters.
The media team produce monthly newsreels and these are available to view on this website’s homepage. They have also been extremely useful in telling our supporters about “items of interest” at CFL. The gentlemen on this project write and research most, if not all, of the film themselves. More recently they have begun, with careful supervision, to take an active part in the editing of the footage, which takes time, patience and great technical skill. This means they can see their work through from start to finish, which gives them confidence and a huge sense of achievement.
CMP produces all the charity’s literature and one of our biggest jobs is the monthly bulletin. This is a newsletter that goes out to all our supporters, keeping them up to date with all that’s happening at Caring For Life. This is the time when the office becomes a busy production line, with stamping, labeling and stuffing the latest bulletin that will then be posted out to all of our supporters, who now total over 4,500! We also designed and created this website here in the CMP office and work to keep it up to date, giving as much information as possible. One of the team’s roles is to update our daily prayer requests, which many people look at every day.
Although this project seems to mainly attract the gentlemen in our care, we now have a few ladies on the team and they are all enjoying the computing side as they want to improve their IT, keyboard, literacy and numeracy skills. We are also exploring new ways of designing, so we are in the early stages of using a (professional) graphic design programme and are really enjoying being creative in a different way.
Many people are easily phased by computers and any kind of technology, but here at Caring For Life we are privileged to have a project with some of the most up to date equipment and those who choose to work on the project just seem to take things in their stride and are able to work within their abilities, increasing their knowledge and skills in many new and exciting areas.
It is our aim to work alongside those on the project to enable each person to achieve set goals according to their abilities. Most of those in our care have had unhappy experiences at school and in their past, so to focus on what they are able to do and not what they are unable to do, is crucial to their self worth, motivation and confidence.
The Computer and Media Project (known as CMP) is a well-established project that has been in operation for the last 15 years and has done amazingly well to keep up with all the latest technology. We have been extremely grateful for grants from Trusts which have supported the progress of this work, enabling us to have the resources available to produce in-house all our own literature and film requirements. This helps us to show the work of the charity in the best possible way.
We have a great time in CMP and it’s a real privilege to work alongside those who work on this project, seeing them grow in so many ways that they themselves never thought possible. We do hope that you enjoy watching our films and exploring this web site.
