On November 15, Durham College’s (DC) International Office, in collaboration with CICan (Colleges and Institutes Canada), rolled out the red carpet for the premiere of the Kenya Education for Employment Program (KEFEP) Documentary.

More than 120 guests from the college and local community, including the principal secretary from Kenya’s State Department of Vocational and Technical Education and the deputy high commissioner of Kenya to Canada, gathered in the Centre for Collaborative Education’s Global Classroom for the screening of the film.

Captured, scripted, edited and produced by four DC students and two faculty, the crew spent three weeks in Kenya documenting KEFEP, a five-year initiative focused on strengthening and supporting technical and vocational education and training in Kenya, funded by the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada.

“We are so pleased we can finally share this documentary,” said Lisa Shepard, dean, International Education, DC. “The opportunity to work and learn internationally is a great gift and we are deeply appreciative to our Canadian and global partners for all they have shared with us and for this journey of global partnership through KEFEP.”

Over the course of visits to nine cities, the #DCinKenya crew, which consisted of Danielle Harder, professor, Journalism – Mass Media and Jennifer Bedford, professor, Video Production, as well as four students from the School of Media, Art and Design, conducted 52 interviews with KEFEP partners, stakeholders and beneficiaries, in addition to collecting 40 hours of incredible footage. After months of effort and countless time spent in the editing suite, the KEFEP Documentary was born.

“It is a story of international collaboration, of our Canadian colleges’ commitment and support and of inspirational leaders and institutions in Kenya devoted to the development of education for employment,” said Danielle Harder, the documentary’s producer. “Behind the scenes, it’s a story of the power of experiential learning and expanding a student’s horizons, allowing their talents to flourish outside of the classroom.”

In addition to the screening, the premiere featured a photo exhibit, interactive KEFEP stations produced by all first and second-year students in the Journalism – Mass Media program and a #DCinKenya crew question and answer panel session.

KEFEP is a $29 million initiative funded by Global Affairs Canada and delivered by CICan through partnerships with 17 Canadian institutions.