EachOther released a documentary called Excluded in December 2020. This was a project that I worked on as producer and director, during my previous role as Creative Director at the charity. I’ve written and spoken about the process of putting that film together before and you can watch it and access the wide range of stories we created about it here in the Spotlight I developed in support of the film. This article isn’t about the making of the film; it’s about the conversations that came next.
The film has already had a lot of engagement, including over 19,000 views on EachOther’s YouTube channel. It’s been screened in cinemas by children’s groups, featured in film festivals and was shortlisted for a Learning On Screen award in April 2023. In October 2023, it’ll feature on a core module for two education degrees at the Open University, which they’ve told me means it’ll get seen by 45,000 students.
The film had been made during COVID-19 and I had promised the young people that we’d screen it in Scotland. It seemed like a great opportunity to bring civic organisations and human rights bodies in Scotland together with young people to take the conversation about school exclusion and co-production onwards.
“Excluded shows young people will achieve much more when we can remove barriers to their success and showcase those achievements better than any adults can.”
Vince Henry (Youth Justice Forum, Glasgow City Council)
On 9 November 2022, we delivered a day conference and screened the Excluded documentary at the Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) in the centre of Glasgow as part of their community programme. This event was held in the afternoon, with two panels: one focussing on co-production and one on school exclusion. Each panel heard from organisations working in these areas and from young people affected by these issues. Each panel was co-facilitated by young people alongside Professor Laura Lundy (Queen’s University Belfast).
“The Excluded event was both extremely enlightening and edifying to attend. The rich panel discussion, driven by audience participation, highlighted the nuances of exclusion that are frequently omitted from existing debate. I came away feeling not only more informed but enriched by discussion between organisers, the panel and audience.”
Dr Amy Hanna (Strathclyde University)
The co-production panel was co-chaired by Laura Lundy and Betty Mayo, who features in and worked on the film, and included myself and Juliet Harris (Director of Together) along with Olivia Brown (Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament [MSYP] for Midlothian North and Musselburgh).
The exclusion panel was chaired by Laura Lundy and Beinn Grant (MSYP for Perthshire North and Convenor of the Education and Life-Long Learning Committee) and included Bruce Adamson (Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland), Iain Nisbet (specialist in the field of education law and Consultant Solicitor from Cairn Legal in Glasgow) and Zainab Adeleye (MSYP for Glasgow Southside).
With the help of Meg Thomas from Includem, who has been a tireless champion of the project, I pulled together an audience from education, children services, the BBC and civil society. Some of the organisations that signed up to be there included GMAC Film, the Scottish Human Rights Commission, the Corra Foundation, academics from Strathclyde University and people from the Scottish Government, including a large contingent from the Scottish Youth Parliament.
“The Excluded event was fantastic – every aspect was engaging, from the powerful and moving voices of both the young people who have travelled through so much adversity already and the impassioned professionals working alongside them, championing their inclusion and participation; to the wonderful short film that gave a true platform to the voices of real young people. I met an amazing mix of contributors, organisers and audience members, which, during the course of an evening, were able to voice and demonstrate their shared passion and commitment towards the issue, while not shying away from the challenges ahead, the impact it continues to have and the difficult discussions we must approach collectively and with equity… I honestly felt that I learned so much over the course of the day and was so incredibly moved by the speakers’ experiences and passion”.
Garry Donegan (Grants Advisor, Corra)
We screened the documentary at the CCA that night, premiering the film in Glasgow, just as I hoped we would be able to after the pandemic. Afterwards, I was approached by teachers, parents and social workers: people were really moved and affected by the film. It was really gratifying to see, as my last event as EachOther’s Creative Director. I worked to ensure that people were engaging with the ideas throughout and – as much as I was able – to facilitate a space for conversation and discussion, bringing people and organisations together to start relationships that would extend onwards and forge further collaborations in Scotland. These conversations won’t stop here.
