Filmmaking inspires safer choices in Jigalong

Teenagers in a remote Pilbara town will be empowered with skills to face life’s challenges by making movie magic as the Youth Choices team return this week!

Proudly supported by Roy Hill, WA Police Force and Stan Perron Charitable Foundation, the week-long Youth Choices remote intensive filmmaking program on May 19-23 will see secondary students from Jigalong Remote Community School make a short film about a social issue affecting them. At the end of the week their hard work will be screened at a community event, where the audience will discuss it and engage in improvised live theatre to act out alternative scenes to the film. The students have settled on the topic of Bullying.

Long-running safety and social education provider Constable Care Foundation (CCF) delivered the same workshop in Jigalong a year ago, where students chose to make a film about the impacts of theft. Jigalong Remote Community School principal James Giddings said the 2024 workshop had a profoundly positive influence on the kids.

“Student engagement was fantastic… I think giving them confidence to stand up and express themselves in front of others is such a crucial part of their education,” he said.

“It has fostered some strong discussions around choices being made by young people and how to avoid getting sucked into poor decisions.”

The workshop is just one of the many programs offered by CCF. Over 37-years, the iconic Western Australian harm prevention charity has expanded well beyond its beloved primary school puppet shows. Several workshops are now available to teenagers and young adults through the organisation’s Youth Choices programs, where creative filmmaking, interactive theatre and experiential learning is used to tackle relevant challenges faced by today’s youth.

Constable Care Foundation Chief Executive Ian Anstee said intensive programs like the one in Jigalong enabled participants to choose a topic relevant to their own lives and explore it for an extended period.

“Coming back to Jigalong a year later and working with students for a whole week again gives our expert facilitators lots of opportunities to get to know the kids, explore what’s going on and have a greater impact,” he said.

“The workshop weaves ethical and critical thinking activities into the filmmaking fun. It’s designed to give young people a voice and empower them with skills to face some of life’s biggest obstacles. They become more resilient and build teamwork, empathy, critical thinking, problem-solving and other valuable skills.

“The discussions that take place at the end of the process have a ripple effect throughout entire communities as they solve problems together. It really does work towards driving positive social change.”