Changing the Narrative

Syrian Futures at the University of Edinburgh & the Alwaleed Centre

summary of project

Syrian Futures and Media Education secured funding from the Scottish Refugee Council to support young Syrians in creating short films tackling stereotyping and prejudice, and acknowledging refugee challenges here in Scotland. The films celebrate these New Scots' achievements, honour their creativity and help challenge misconceptions about refugee communities in Scotland.

our approach

Working with eight young Syrian refugees, we created five short films primarily for use in schools and youth settings. The films aimed to increase understanding of the lives of refugees and challenge some of the prejudices the group encountered at school.

An education resource was made to accompany the films. All those involved achieved our Access to Media qualification certified by Edinburgh College.

The online education resource is available via the University of Edinburgh.

There are BSL and Audio-described versions of these films.

“Working in partnership with Media Education was one of the most rewarding experiences for both our staff and service users. The Media Ed workers were supportive, gentle, encouraging and enthusiastic; taking some very vulnerable women and coaching them through the process of producing their own film about a difficult subject.”

Jan Ferguson, Edinburgh Women's Aid, Shakti Women's Aid
“From the outset, I have been struck by the strength of the ethos of Media Education’s approach. Adopting a film creation process that is very respectful of the lives and issues of people and communities and using empowering methods has been ideal for what we are trying to achieve.”

Dr Trevor Lakey, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
“The team at Media Education have been invaluable to us, offering a flexible programme which engages young people at their own pace; encourages team work; embraces learning and new ideas; builds confidence; and encourages young people to complete a project, perhaps for the first time in their lives.”

Karen Brown, East Lothian Works
“Media Education made the process fun, easy and fulfilling. Our community were central to the development of the idea, the content and the final film that was produced. We would not hesitate working with them again and look forward to future collaborations.”

Georgia Artus, LifeCare Edinburgh
“Perhaps the most important aspect related to my work is that the children, families and practitioners who have been involved in filming have felt well supported by Media Education staff – they may have been nervous at first but have felt relaxed and happy at the end of the filming process.”

Elaine Kerridge, Children in Scotland
“Media Education has worked with us for over nine years on the Scottish Young Carers Festival to run the radio station and to produce a consultation video. When we’ve got this resource, decision makers and local authorities can hear directly from the young carers. It’s a really powerful tool.”

Lorna Goodwin, Carers Trust Scotland
“Media Education captured lots of special moments when they made several short films with the National Involvement Network. Film is a great way to share the stories of the people we support and our members loved the whole experience, especially when they got a chance to work the camera and sound recorder!”

Brid Cullen, ARC Scotland
“The team at Media Education dealt with the people that we interviewed in a very compassionate and empathetic way. You don’t know that sort of thing on a piece of paper, it’s only when you see them working in action.”

Kirstie Cusick, National Lottery Promotions Unit
“Being able to hear what people said in their own words and voices brought key points to life for different audiences. I was impressed with Media Education’s ability to understand what we needed very quickly, help make people feel comfortable on camera, edit to key messages and ultimately produce a very moving film.”

Zoe Ferguson, Carnegie UK Trust
“Media Education listen to what the client or trainees needs are, make well considered suggestions and deliver according to time and budget. Each of my interactions garnered excellently produced, professional results – from detailed quotes to highly rated, popular training sessions – and was exceedingly good value.”

Ailsa Macfarlane, Resourcing Scotland’s Heritage
“I was impressed with how well Media Education engaged with our membership and staff as well as how flexible and adaptable they were in ensuring everyone felt comfortable in front of the camera. The videos are of exceptional quality and have projected our services in a vibrant, emotive and engaging presentation.”

Gary Seath, Scottish War Blinded

Changing the Narrative

summary of project

our approach

“From the outset, I have been struck by the strength of the ethos of Media Education’s approach. Adopting a film creation process that is very respectful of the lives and issues of people and communities and using empowering methods has been ideal for what we are trying to achieve.”

“Media Education made the process fun, easy and fulfilling. Our community were central to the development of the idea, the content and the final film that was produced. We would not hesitate working with them again and look forward to future collaborations.”

“Perhaps the most important aspect related to my work is that the children, families and practitioners who have been involved in filming have felt well supported by Media Education staff – they may have been nervous at first but have felt relaxed and happy at the end of the filming process.”

“The team at Media Education dealt with the people that we interviewed in a very compassionate and empathetic way. You don’t know that sort of thing on a piece of paper, it’s only when you see them working in action.”

Retrofit

Dundee 'Thriving Not Surviving'