- Sri Lanka’s international YouTubing and Content Creation Conference to reach new heights
With social media and content becoming more and more integral to how we live and work, it is now more important than ever to be able to leverage these mediums appropriately, especially if that is how you want to make your living.
Recognising the need for young Sri Lankans to be able to compete in the very global world on online content creation, AIESEC in the University of Sri Jayewardenepura is holding YouCon 3.0, their third annual International YouTubing and Content Creation Conference.
AIESEC is the world’s leading youth leadership development organisation. Developing the potential of young people across 120 countries and territories, AIESEC in Sri Lanka is currently present in the Universities of Moratuwa, Kelaniya, Sri Jayewardenepura, Wayamba, Peradeniya, and Colombo, providing an international platform for its members to discover and develop their potential. This global, non-political, non-profit organisation is composed of students and recent graduates of these institutions of higher education, who are interested in world issues, leadership, and management. AIESEC has over 60 years of experience in developing students into global-minded leaders. AIESEC’s innovative development process consists of unmatched leadership experiences and global internships.
Taking place from 2 to 5 December, YouCon 3.0 will include a series of webinars, virtual concerts, and a physical event designed to bring together youth and professional YouTubers to share ideas and exchange knowledge.
As a conference, YouCon 3.0 aims to create a knowledge-sharing platform for aspiring local and international YouTubers looking to discover new arenas in YouTubing and give them a platform to share insight and gain perspective, creating effective and desirable outcomes for content for YouTube. Speaking to The Morning Brunch, YouCon 3.0 Organising Committee Vice President – External Relations and Finance Sapna Ravishika shared that while AIESEC has pioneered many innovative events, one segment they had yet to touch on was the arena of social media and content creation, which was why YouCon was born. Now, in its third iteration, Ravishika shared that the conference has gone from strength to strength and has become an annual event organised by AIESEC in the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. Last year’s YouCon, YouCon 2.0, was the most attended AIESEC event to date, with over 170,000 views via Facebook.
“Gen Z is very passionate about social media platforms, and this is what we wanted to touch on,” Ravishika said, explaining: “Many people think creating a YouTube channel is simple and that it’s easy to become popular and make a career for yourself online, but there are certain skills needed. Just because you’re enthusiastic doesn’t mean you can do it without getting the proper knowledge.”
Ravishika shared that YouCon 3.0 looks at filling this knowledge gap, with a range of international and local artists and speakers sharing their expertise. Some of the key topics covered at YouCon 3.0 include how to kickstart your own YouTube channel, how to define its purpose and identify your target audience, how to create quality content, and how to monetise your channel.
YouCon 3.0 will see local and international YouTubers share their tips and tricks for vlogging and how they work to bring out their creativity in a way that attracts viewers and makes an impact while working with the latest trends of YouTube.
Some of the speakers and content creators sharing their expertise and experiences at YouCon 3.0 include Dave Farina, Harshadewa Ariyasinghe, Priyanka Tiwari, Janeeth Rodrigo, Travel with Wife, Dinuka Wijesinghe, Elena Anikina, Sajeewa Dissanayake, Kamaj Silva, Kumalinda Rajanayaka, Kaali, Janai Priyai, Some, Ayyo Ayo, HESHAN, Kujeetha Films, and Maniya. In total, YouCon 3.0 will see over 50 speakers from 40-plus countries coming in to talk about YouTubing and content creation.
YouCon 3.0 will be a mix of physical and virtual, with its first three days (2, 3, and 4 December) taking place virtually and culminating in a physical conference/workshop on 5 December. Noting that the details of this event are still TBC considering the situation with Covid-19, Ravishika explained that the final day of the conference will be an interactive workshop, a series of talks, and a physical rendition of the “YouCon Studio”, a small entertainment session, that takes its root in the virtual YouCon where YouTube artists perform for the audience.
Speaking on the potential for YouTube to become a mainstream social media platform in Sri Lanka, Ravishika explained that the most popular social media platform at the moment is Instagram, which is image and photograph-based, but this is quickly changing with video-focused platforms like YouTube and TikTok becoming vastly popular, and helping Sri Lankans to shine on these video-driven platforms is what YouCon 3.0 and its future iterations hopes to do.
To register to be a part of YouCon 3.0 please visit http://aiesec.lk/youcon3-reg-forms or visit the AIESEC Sri Lanka website http://aiesec.lk/.
