From ‘Can we Borrow a Room’ to a Multiyear Partnership.
From my point of view, we haven’t done much filmmaking before in a serious way with the kids, so for them to see what’s possible is really inspiring, and we are going to be setting up a film studies course for GCSE’s next year! Loads of them are really keen to do it because they enjoyed the filmmaking project, seeing how it works, and also going to the film festival and seeing what other people have done. And actually we’ve got the equipment for doing it at school, so it’s been great for us to get a better sense of what’s possible, so that’s been really inspiring. We are also talking about having an animation session on Wednesday afternoons to sort of break up the academic side of the week.
From the point of view of the group, it has been the teamwork that’s been amazing and is much improved now. They don’t often get to do big projects togethers. It has given them a different perspective, and actually the staff as well. People from all different areas of the school say ‘this is really impressive’. So this idea of cohesion within the students, more cohesion within the staff, the film studies, the possible Wednesday afternoon animation workshop – that’s all stemmed from the projects.
One of our students edited a film we submitted to the film festival. My colleagues said he’d never worked on a project for more than two weeks before, and for this he spent his own spare time, lunch and breaks. Normally he would be sat on his phone during breaks, and people wanted to see what he was doing and he was able to share it with other people. He was then building social connections and that was lovely to see. And for him to then get an award at the film festival, I’ve never seen him so genuinely happy. He was just delighted because he worked his little socks off. He’s only 13. Now he’s talking about how he might look into filmmaking, into animation, into all sorts of careers. He’d never mentioned a career before, so that’s really exciting.
Another one of our students who was part of the project this year, doesn’t speak at all. She comes into school, sits on a bean bag in the corner, and smiles and laughs and engages, but doesn’t speak. During the project she was putting herself forward for roles, and then suddenly after the film festival, she was actively being funny and putting out these witty one-liners, and the other kids were like ‘wait she’s really funny’, and to see her confidence grow like that has been amazing. She used to come in part time but during the project she wanted to come in full time. She was recently part of a fundraiser at school and she was there, behind the table asking people their orders and offering them cake and interacting with members of the public. So that social interaction had been a huge change.
Another student has gone on to do performing arts and is absolutely loving it. And she’s now on camera. She wasn’t on camera for any of the projects before. Working with professionals who were treating her like a professional, I think really gave her the boost she needed. It had given her the momentum to apply for performing arts college, and follow that career.
Other workshops we’ve done such a the greenscreen – absolutely loved that. The kids are talking about setting up a portable green screen. The kids came up with that. Particularly one student, who is really quiet, has been very vocal about what she wants that’s media based.
All the experiences we’ve had have been positive. They know they are safe in the Junction. Having members of your team and members of our team as consistent people in the projects is a great thing. It gives them anchor points in both spaces, and a lot of it comes down to having built the relationship. You guys came into the centre, sat down with them, chatted, showed them you weren’t put off by bad language or talking about self-harm. You just accepted them for who they are. It means they know that there are other places in the world that they can feel like that as well.
The long-term nature of it has been really helpful. They can have future aspirations. They are already thinking about what they want to do next year because they have that long term idea. Some sense of future and thinking ahead, and that is a new thing. We’ve not really been able to persuade some kids to look beyond the next few days, weeks, months. But for them to be thinking about a years time, that’s massive.
With one off projects, sometimes it can be that they’ve picked something up from it, but no one goes to one of those things and fills out a feedback form saying ‘wow this has changed my life’. But with a three year programme, you really can see that progress.
I think for us its been really unusual. I’m trying to think if we have ever worked so closely with an external agency as we have the with Junction. I don’t think we ever have. We’ve got a long lasting connection where the kids have felt as safe and comfortable at the Junction as they do at Red Balloon. We’ve got a lot of expertise among the staff at the school, and we tend to just do things ourselves. But for the kids its very good to get out of the building and meet new people and try new stuff. So that has been a big thing. Inviting people into our space, and then meeting those same people in a different safe space, just expands it. For us and the staff it’s significant to trust an agency outside of Red Balloon to understand us and deliver. We feel safe putting our kids in your hands, and that’s been a good learning curve for us.
It has been such a privilege to be able to have that connection and to work with you guys so closely. They are ok to go to the Junction and see a familiar face, and its got that Red Balloon feel to it. That, for me, has been a massive shift in Red Balloon thinking. As well as for my own professional development, and the progress of the kids. Making that connection with someone outside of our building and keeping it going and keeping it growing. Its been quite a natural thing. You know us well, and you know what might work for us. We’d love to keep it going if we can, to keep that connection.
Where we are now has been influenced by our partnership. I could not have predicted that when I emailed saying ‘have you got a room we could borrow’ three years later, we would be here.
Illustrations by Anglia Ruskin University students.