A group of Stirling teenagers had the chance to try their hand at movie-making thanks to a project backed by the city’s Business Improvement District.
Stirling charity, Support for Families, ran a successful animation film scheme for the city’s youngsters which was joint funded by grants from Go Forth Stirling BID and Place Management Scotland. The teenagers met weekly for sessions which saw them write and develop their own short animation film about Stirling over an eight-week period.
The completed films were due to be showcased during a special event at Made in Stirling last month which had to be postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Support for Families helps vulnerable families and the project aimed to engage local teenagers and make them feel part of the Stirling community. It followed some complaints from traders at the Top of The Town about youngsters behaving in an anti-social manner.
Support for Families Chief Officer Janice Beaton said: “The Animation workshops were a real success and this was a great partnership event which resulted in a positive reaction from the teenagers involved. Some of the films they produced are just fantastic and the project really channelled their energy into something positive and made them think about what the city of Stirling means to them.”
“A lot of parents said the project had made a big difference to their children and given them a positive focus. A big part of the project involves the recognition received for taking part so we’re hoping to be able to show the films and present the prizes we had planned to give out at some point soon.”
The teenagers worked with Sam Green from Creative Stirling and Animator Indie Flynn whose organisation Square Peg delivers animation and film workshops to children with special needs or from challenging behavioural backgrounds. They each developed and designed their own characters, drew up a storyboard and created a 2-3-minute film around the theme of Stirling and what it means to them personally.
There will be a presentation of prizes and certificates for the youngsters involved along with a showing of the films at a ceremony later this year.
The project was funded by a £1500 grant from Go Forth Stirling and a further £1500 grant from Place Management Scotland. Go Forth Stirling’s Chair Danielle McRorie-Smith said: “We were pleased to help fund this project which was of great benefit to local teenagers providing them with a positive channel for their energy and the chance to develop a new skill. We now look forward to seeing the finished films at a future date.”
