20 Nov 2012

Animation software to help Pacific youth employment chances

12:21 pm on 20 November 2012

A computer specialist says animation software has the potential to give Pacific youth employment and is also a growing educational tool in the region.

A New Zealand-based IT expert John Herd has volunteered in Vanuatu for several years and taught young people movie making skills while making videos on numeracy for the NGO 'One Smol Bag'.

He says financial literacy is doubly important in places where traditionally people live off the land and are not used to a money-based economy.

He says animation engages young people and computer programmes such as 'moviestorm' may help them use their creative potiential to tell their own stories in the future.

"I think it's a great example where software could potentially level the playing field and give a voice to people that are, they're on the wrong side of that digital divide at the moment. And there's no reason why someone in say Vanuatu can't use this software to produce as good a result as someone in Los Angeles or Seattle."

Computer specialist John Herd.