Scotland our new home
Making Films for New Arrivals
‘Scotland, Our New Home’ was a hands-on, collaborative filmmaking project for young people with refugee experience from the New Young Peers Scotland group (NYPS). Filmmaker Simon Bishopp and independent researcher Dr. Katja Frimberger received funding through Creative Scotland’s Open Project Fund to work with NYPS and create films.
The 8-months project ran until 28th February 2019.
Participants developed their filmmaking skills and confidence in their artistic imagination through a hands-on learning approach. The project supported the New Young Peers to tell their stories. It supported them to realise their goal of making films that speak to other newly arrived young people.
Read more about our project journey
Morgan Petrie, Creative Industries Manager at Creative Scotland said:
Scotland Our New Home is providing social and cultural development opportunities for young asylum seekers and refugees through filmmaking. This project will support their creative learning and help us see the world from new perspectives, this is especially important in this the Year of Young People 2018.
PROJECT FACILITATORS
Simon Bishopp is an award-winning filmmaker and animator based in Glasgow, Scotland. He runs his video production company Showman Media creating documentaries, fundraiser videos, animations, narrative films and film-based teaching materials for charities, community projects and education bodies. Before becoming a freelance filmmaker, Simon worked as a camera operator on BBC documentaries.
He created the animation Scotland Our New Home in collaboration with the peer mentoring partnerhsip and young people with refugee experience who wanted to communicate the challenges that life in Scotland entails. The animation was award-nominated at the Glasgow Southside Film Festival and shown at youth, education and social work conferences across the UK.
In his free time, Simon makes sci-fi films: his short film Refuge competed as part of the Scottish competition at the Glasgow Short Film Festival 18 and was screened at the London Sci-Fi Film Festival.
Dr Katja Frimberger is an independent researcher based in Glasgow, continually curious to understand the values that art-making adds to people’s lives. Katja has been a producer and facilitator with Simon Bishopp since 2012, working on community film projects, charity fundraisers, documentaries and narrative shorts.
Before becoming an independent researcher, Katja was lecturer in Theatre at Brunel University London and Research Associate at the University of Glasgow, where she also gained her PhD in 2013 – with a project that explored international students’ intercultural experiences through an arts-based research pedagogy of improvisational theatre, creative writing and play.
You can access Katja’s research articles here.
PROJECT PARTNERS
Lyn Ma has been teaching for over 25 years. She currently teaches ESOL (English for Speakers of other Languages) at Glasgow Clyde College, Anniesland Campus.
She has special responsibility for co-ordinating and teaching on the 16+ESOL programme, this programme is unique in Scotland as it is specifically for young asylum seekers and refugees between the ages of 16- 19, many of whom are here alone.
Lyn really enjoys working with young people and finds their courage and resilience inspirational. She is passionate about supporting young people to have their voices heard.
Vicki Burns is the Ypeer Mentoring Coordinator with the charity Ypeople. Her role is to train and support young, care experienced people to provide mentoring to other care experienced young people.
Vicki is qualified in Community Education and has worked with children and young people in their communities for over twenty years.
Vicki most enjoys her work when she is equipping young people with the skills and knowledge to influence policy and improve their communities and this is why she enjoys working with the New Young Peers Scotland group.
Vicki has keen interests in equalities and children’s human rights.
