JIGALONG TEENS TO TELL THEIR STORIES THROUGH FILMMAKING WORKSHOP

BY ASAD KHAN

Teenagers in Jigalong will soon swap classrooms for cameras, as the Constable Care Foundation returns to the remote Pilbara community with its Youth Choices filmmaking program.

The week-long workshop, running from 19 to 23 May, is supported by Roy Hill, WA Police and the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation. Jigalong Remote Community School students will create a short film exploring a relevant social issue.

The program ends with a community screening, followed by an interactive theatre session where audience members are invited to act out different choices and outcomes.

Constable Care Foundation CEO Ian Anstee said the initiative empowers young people by building resilience, teamwork and problem-solving skills.

“It gives young people a voice and helps them develop confidence to face some of life’s biggest challenges,” Mr Anstee said.

Dr Kaz Bland, Project Program Coordinator for Constable Care, told Ngaarda Media the workshops create a safe environment for students to express themselves.

“At the start of the week, there were eyes down, no eye contact, and kids were literally mumbling, ‘oh shame man, shame’ just at the thought of being in front of the camera,” she said.

“But by the end of the week, we had kids coming who hadn’t been to school for three months saying, ‘I wish we could’ve done it’. Some even got up in front of the whole community.”

Dr Bland said the film made last year has been shown around 20 times at the local youth centre, by popular demand.

“Apparently, the whole community’s seen it. The lifting of pride was really big.”

The Youth Choices program is part of the Constable Care Foundation’s broader harm prevention work. It has evolved from its well-known puppet shows for primary students to include a range of creative workshops for young people across Western Australia.

Listen to Ngaarda Media’s Asad Khan speak with Dr Kaz Bland: