Breaking the Silence

Happy May Day!

It is my pleasure to today “break the silence” and announce the launch of SilenceBreaker Media, Ltd – the social enterprise striving for three strands of sustainability, re-utilising materials to engage communities in media projects for empowerment and consultation.

What does all that mean? Well, we plan to procure a whole range of used computers, recycle/refurbish them, and deliver workshops in disadvantaged communities to get the people online – blogging, vlogging, podcasting, making videos, and more! SilenceBreaker Media will give a voice to the voiceless, so that disadvantaged people can actually vocalise the issues important to them using exciting media – media which can be compiled and provided in consultation to local councils.

Speaking of councils, it’s an election year. I write this on the eve of one of the most intriguing and important general elections in British history. Britain is in a recession, and no matter which of the major parties take power, each will be adamant that government spending be cut. Now, we will take computers from the private sector, deliver our activities in the third sector, and offer the consultation to the public sector, all at highly affordable rates.

While public funds and services are in limited supply, we can help – by providing the consultation through our activities. While corporate culture also needs changing, we can help – by assisting them in meeting their social responsibility targets. While communities suffer the worst of all in the recession, we can help – by giving them a voice, and providing them with low-cost media materials to have those voices heard.

The challenge ahead lies in how we measure recovery from a recession. It’s not just about whether stocks and share prices have increased, because that’s useless if unemployment is still high. Currently in Britain, almost a million young people are unemployed. Their voices must be heard, and their needs must be met. By becoming community SilenceBreakers through our activities, they can gain access to training, education and even employment.

SilenceBreaker Media is committed to a healthy “triple bottom line” – proceeds, people, planet; what I like to call the “3BL.” This means that in all we do, we will strive to ensure that the money we make is put back into our activities, that we measure our social achievements, and that we do it with a green media approach, determined to make media with no impact, in accordance with the Green Code Project I became aware of while attending Hot Docs in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, three years ago.

So, SilenceBreaker Media is finally incorporated as a social enterprise. It’s been a long road. It began as test projects here in Britain when I was just a young person myself trying to create community cinema projects through my own unincorporated association, and a couple of years ago when myself and Dr Herbert Pimlott announced the idea for SilenceBreaker Media at the world premiere of my feature-length film Escape from Doncatraz over in Canada. Now, today, it is a reality. I have the best board of directors I could ask for, and an innovative, sustainable vision to empower many, many more SilenceBreakers all across the country.

3BL 4 Life,

Jay Baker, Founder