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ole in it. The 68th Quadrennial Convention<br />
theme of “Growth = Strength”<br />
has been incorporated into the material.<br />
There are versions for both Canadian and<br />
U.S. Locals. The Education Department<br />
has seen an uptick in requests for this presentation<br />
since the mid-summer General<br />
Executive Board Meeting. It is also part<br />
of every <strong>IATSE</strong> Officer Institute and is<br />
available free of charge to all local unions<br />
on request. Interested local unions may<br />
contact Jennifer Halpern in the <strong>IATSE</strong><br />
General Office to bring this presentation<br />
to their town.<br />
Student Outreach<br />
The Department’s student outreach<br />
initiatives are designed to help grow and<br />
to include the workers of the future, who<br />
are diverse, digitally-literate, and eager<br />
to be part of the industry. When they<br />
are taught about the <strong>IATSE</strong> and crafts, a<br />
union-friendly mindset is created in the<br />
workers of tomorrow, and deepens the<br />
<strong>IATSE</strong>’s own bench strength.<br />
College Outreach Presentation<br />
Director White reported on and<br />
shared a preview of “Passion and Pay:<br />
Why Unions Still Matter”, a PowerPoint<br />
presentation created by the Education<br />
and Training Department to teach young<br />
workers about the relationship between<br />
strong unions and a healthy economy and<br />
to introduce the workers to the <strong>IATSE</strong> and<br />
what it stands for. Designed specifically<br />
for use by local unions, it can be easily<br />
customized and used not only for student<br />
outreach, but also in new member orientations,<br />
and as an organizing tool. Local<br />
927 in Atlanta, and Local 488 in Portland<br />
are just two of the Locals that have already<br />
used “Passion and Pay: Why Unions<br />
Still Matter”, and it has been presented<br />
at USITT and North Carolina School of<br />
the Arts. Interested Local Union Officers<br />
may request a copy from the Education<br />
Department.<br />
CreativeFuture<br />
The Department continues to partner<br />
with CreativeFuture, a nonprofit coalition<br />
that advocates for strong but appropriate<br />
copyright protections – empowering<br />
creatives to speak up about the value of<br />
creativity and against piracy and how it<br />
affects their ability to create and make a<br />
living. On January 14, <strong>2018</strong>, the <strong>IATSE</strong><br />
and CreativeFuture teamed up to present<br />
a free online <strong>web</strong>inar for <strong>IATSE</strong> members<br />
to help them understand the relationship<br />
between copyright, piracy, and the<br />
health of the entertainment industry and<br />
learn what can be done to protect <strong>IATSE</strong><br />
workers’ creative future. A component<br />
based on the <strong>IATSE</strong> Training Trust Fund<br />
Train-the-Trainer model demonstrated<br />
how to go into schools to inspire the next<br />
generation of <strong>IATSE</strong> members, while also<br />
teaching them about the importance of<br />
ethical online behavior. This <strong>web</strong>inar is<br />
available for viewing on the CreativeFuture<br />
<strong>web</strong>site.<br />
Roundabout Theatre<br />
<strong>IATSE</strong> partners with Education at<br />
Roundabout Theatre on two innovative<br />
initiatives that reach out to New York<br />
City’s school population. These programs<br />
aim to break down barriers that prevent<br />
young adults from joining the industry,<br />
create tangible pathways for economically<br />
disadvantaged students into satisfying<br />
and sustainable careers, and cultivate a<br />
more diverse technical theatre workforce.<br />
“Hidden Career Path Days” began<br />
their sixth-year this the fall. The popular<br />
program exposes New York City public<br />
high school students to careers in technical<br />
theatre and the possible pathways to<br />
pursue those careers, and educates students<br />
about why the <strong>IATSE</strong> and unions<br />
generally are important. Students recently<br />
experienced interactive mini-lessons<br />
taught by <strong>IATSE</strong> member-volunteers<br />
about Stagecraft, Electrics, and Sound,<br />
as well as <strong>IATSE</strong> member-led tours of<br />
Carnegie Hall, Circle in the Square, Radio<br />
City Music Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center,<br />
and The Harold and Miriam Steinberg<br />
Center for Theatre. Thanks to Local One<br />
President and <strong>IATSE</strong> Vice President Jim<br />
Claffey, and the officers of Local One for<br />
going out of their way to coordinate Local<br />
One members working at the top of their<br />
fields as presenters, and of course, to the<br />
members themselves, who graciously volunteer<br />
their time, some year after year.<br />
Learning about the careers in our<br />
business is only a first step, and last year,<br />
the <strong>IATSE</strong> entered a post-high school<br />
program to keep young people moving<br />
on the path to good jobs. The first cohort<br />
of twelve Theatrical Workforce Development<br />
Program (TWDP) fellows are<br />
well into their second year and currently<br />
are all working entry-level jobs at nonunion<br />
Roundabout employment partner<br />
theatres and shops. They continue their<br />
training by learning on the job, supervised<br />
by Roundabout staff. The seventeen<br />
fellows of the second cohort have<br />
now concluded four months of hands-on<br />
training in the areas of stagecraft, electrics,<br />
sound, and wardrobe and will begin<br />
to narrow their focus to one or two crafts<br />
in the coming weeks. All fellows receive<br />
one-on-one mentoring with an <strong>IATSE</strong><br />
FIRST QUARTER <strong>2018</strong> 39
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