The Young Foundation rounded off 2019 with the ‘Hear Our Stories’ screening at Canada Water Theatre. This celebratory evening premiered the fantastic films created by four local charities over the course of our participatory video training generously funded by the Postcode Lottery. A night of films and talks showcased the incredible achievements of the groups involved in the participatory video workshops, The Black Heroes Foundation, Student Action for Refugees (STAR), ParaPride and Community Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (CARAS).
The groups’ films explored themes of acceptance and belonging whilst portraying their charities’ work to tackle discrimination. STAR showcased their work across the country welcoming refugees into society and making higher level education more accessible for asylum seekers. ParaPride advocated for more visibility and inclusivity of disabled people within the LGBTQ community. The Black Heroes Foundation celebrated Stormzy in a film casting light on black people who have shaped history and whose stories are largely untold. CARAS told the story of everyday discrimination that many of its members have experienced first-hand and how the youth clubs at CARAS have helped them to learn English, find friends and integrate.
‘Hear Our Stories’ was an incredible celebration of these groups and showcased the powerful stories that can emerge from the participatory video process.
Maddy Robbinson “Loved being part of this! Was so great that we could tell our story exactly how we wanted, while also being supported with all of the technical stuff. The sessions were really well thought-out and engaging. Absolutely loved the end result – we showed it at our annual conference in November and have been sharing it through a lot of our comms, like our Christmas newsletter, social media and emails to new committee members (to show them what STAR is about).”
Jamala Abdullahi “Found the whole process amazing, it was a great opportunity to gain new skills but to also meet and share ideas with other organisations working in the sector. Every session was full of energy, exciting and the YF team was very supportive. Absolutely love it.”
Phanthip Saengathit “The training was super helpful for me personally, as I am an activist myself and I learnt how to create a video from scratch. It gives me a powerful tool and lesson to do more.”
The Young Foundation will be offering additional participatory video workshops in future.
Please get in touch if you would like to find out more about any such opportunities.
All films are now available to watch online:
STAR – ‘The Power of a Movement’
The Black Heroes Foundation – ‘Celebrating Our Heroes’
CARAS – ‘People of the World, We Are Here to Open Your Mind’
PARAPRIDE – ‘Pride: In Celebrating ParaPride’
Posted on: 23 January 2020