DeLAND, Fla. – Students at the Lacey Family Spring Hill Boys & Girls Club In DeLand got quite the surprise this week, learning a skill many say they otherwise wouldn’t.
DeLand native A’sia Horne hosted a 2-day video editing boot camp teaching the kids about video and audio editing and visual effects. Horne told News 6 it’s all about exposure for these kids.
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Horne said the first time she learned to edit was at DeLand High School.
“The kids are first of all able to learn a professional skill set and secondly they can learn something they can be certified in once they get to high school,” Horne said.
She told News 6 her boot camp was so much more than kids learning about video editing.
“My message really is you can do whatever you want to do as long as you put the work in,” she said.
Horne now lives in California, in the Los Angeles area, where she’s worked in the TV and film industry for more than a decade. She most recently worked as an assistant editor on the high-profile movie, “The Woman King.”
Horne has been hosting these boot camps for the past 4 years in Volusia County and throughout the country. It’s part of her nonprofit, Hue Collective, aimed at exposing youth of color to post-production.
“In our profession we don’t have that many people of color. It’s starting to improve which is great,” Horne said. “Diversity is super important and that also affects your storytelling - and for me I think it’s important that the kids are aware of the path, so they can seek it out if they want to.”
Deland High School senior Kenneth Jackson, 17, said it meant so much to take part in a 2-day free video editing boot camp this week.
“I hope other people will see me as an example and try out editing. It’s really great. If you get the hang of it, you’ll enjoy it,” Jackson said.
Jackson was one of many teens who got to learn more about video and audio editing and visual effects.
“She teaches us the different ways to edit, she’s very respectful and patient with us,” Deland High student Tavahny Gardner, 17, said.
Althea Chavers is the unit director at the Lacey Family Spring Hill Boys & Girls Club in DeLand.
“It’s just awesome, and for these kids to be able to gain that experience here at the club, that’s a plus,” Chavers said.
Horne said thanks to different donors and other partners, she was able to give away a free laptop to one of the kids after the boot camp.
Horne is a graduate of Deland High School and Florida A&M University.
You can read more about her nonprofit by clicking here.
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