Meet Gen C – people who care deeply about creation, curation, connection and community. While it’s a generation of mostly millennials, it’s not an age group – it’s a mindset. We speak to Nick from Exeter’s Tubers Academy to learn more about the YouTube Generation, the art of content creation and staying safe online. 

The Concept
The goal of Tubers is simple – to provide access to studios, equipment, and training to young people, offering professional video studio access and, depending on the age of the children, experiential or curriculum-based training. ‘Mini-Tubers’ (Primary School age) work on monthly projects experiencing all aspects of video production. ‘Academy’ members (Secondary School age) work through Tubers’ own custom-built curriculum and growth path, taking them all the way from their first introduction to professional equipment through to becoming a fully independent content creator and preparing them for a career in the creative industries. 

What’s On Offer
“Our Mini-Tubers (children as young as seven) just love gaming, as do the older ones, and over the years we’ve built the best possible gaming experience for them, including a full suite of consoles, gaming PCs, and virtual reality,” says Nick Ellison, the creator of Tubers Academy. “Gaming, eSports, and gaming content creation is huge; it has great benefits for young people’s social development, and we believe we give one of the best gaming experience possible.”

Tubers Academy has also been a natural draw for young people with additional needs, specifically children with autism who are often drawn to technology and tech-based activities. The demand for sessions that cater for children with additional needs has led to the creation of ‘Alternative Provision’, offering specialist 1:1, small group, and remote sessions every day from 9am-3pm for young people with additional needs. “It’s been the most rewarding part of the journey so far”, says Nick. 

Keeping safe
With online safety a hot topic at the moment, we were curious to know how Tubers present this information to children. 

“Young people must learn how to keep themselves safe online, that’s our number one priority” explains Nick. “We take our responsibility in this area extremely seriously, especially in a mobile first world that we live in. We must teach them the dangers and how to avoid them for themselves. It’s an ongoing conversation, usually around gaming, chat, and appropriate behaviour.”

What’s Next
Tubers is going from strength to strength, with an academy in Exeter and an academy plus a brand new school and business training centre in Torquay. There is also Tubers Online, which is a self service e-learning platform, and they are currently seeking new premises around the Southwest to expand their Alternative Provision service. 

What’s more, there’s also the ‘Tu-Bus’, a fully custom-built Tubers bus, coming to schools around Devon soon! Watch this space.

To find out more about Tubers and their programs for budding online creatives, visit www.tubers.uk

Words: Mary Bennellick