Twenty students involved in Linking Learning to Life’s youth leadership program, PILOT (Program to Inspire Leadership, Opportunity, and Thought) had the opportunity to engage in the media and communications field on April 6. This interactive field trip was designed to provide local teens with insight on the leadership, ethics, and skills necessary to succeed in the media and marketing world. The students were all high school juniors from area high schools such as: Burlington, South Burlington, Essex and CVU.

The PILOT group kicked off the day at Champlain College’s Communication and Creative Media Department. The students learned about programs like Game Design, Game Art & Animation, Media Communications and Digital Filmmaking. Then they cruised down to Kelliher Samets Volk (KSV), a Burlington marketing firm, to participate in a hands-on activity that demonstrated what it’s like to work with a client on creating a comprehensive marketing strategy.

Rounding out the day, half of the PILOT students got to experience what it’s like to produce a short TV show at CCTV Channel 17. The student-produced shows highlighted Linking Learning to Life and the students’ experiences in the PILOT program. While that was taking place, the other half of the students were at WPTZ watching a demonstration of next generation technology used in the field to transmit video and information in real time.

Overall, the PILOT program was a great hands-on experience for students interested in media and communications careers. If you or someone you know is interested in learning more, please visit http://www.lllvt.org/programs/community-programs/PILOT.