Breaking Barriers and Boundaries: A Showcase of Creativity

Introduction

The 2025 Forum event themed “Breaking Barrier and Boundaries: A Showcase of Creativity” was organised by the Forum as a grand finale of a project that was designed to run for a couple of months where students work on a film that addresses the theme. The event, originally tagged “Film Festival”, was aimed at empowering year 10 and year 12 students of Black and Ethnic Minority backgrounds to express underrepresented stories from their community through film. While the year 10 was expected to produce a film about an individual, the year 12 was meant to focus on a community-based issue. The event was designed to serve as a platform for students to share their stories – such as lived experiences, heritage or cultural history – as well as meet allies from similar backgrounds who have carved a niche for themselves in their chosen professions. The aim is to showcase underrepresented stories that can inspire the students to dare to dream and find their voice and place in society.

Project Design

Initially, we envisioned the event strictly as a film festival, where students create short films based on the theme. However, it was later changed to the latter title. Filmmaking was chosen as a medium of expression because of the power of storytelling and the fact that it might engage a wider audience. To support the students, we proposed organising workshops on storytelling and film production which will be delivered based on the specific needs of the students involved.

Making the Film

Two schools signed up for the project – East Coast College and Great Yarmouth Charter Academy and students from both schools worked as a group to create a film. UEA and NUA co-organised a workshop for the students in March, introducing them to the art of storytelling and the different mediums they could explore to convey their stories. While UEA representatives, Sopuruchi and Karina, delivered a workshop on the importance of storytelling and the different mediums of expression such as poetry, fiction and scriptwriting, Norwich University of Arts held a workshop on the art of Filmmaking. The students were excited to begin work on their projects, and we promised to check with them on their progress in May. We visited both schools in May as promised and assessed the progress of the students, carrying out on-the-spot assessment and supporting them according to their needs. Teachers from both schools equally supported their students throughout the filmmaking process. Although we expected more sign-ups from schools as well as experimentation with more art forms such as poetry, sculpting, painting and fiction from the two schools that subscribed, we are happy with the students’ engagement with the theme and their choice of film as a medium of expression.

Challenges

There were low sign-ups from schools, which affected the overall outlook of the event. To ensure wider participation, we slightly modified the format months before the event to allow for a broader range of creative expressions, including visual arts, poetry, film or any medium the students might connect more with, adjusting the title to read to ‘Breaking Barriers and Boundaries: A Showcase of Creativity’. We made the change because we figured that the theme’s initial focus on strict filmmaking may feel daunting for the teachers and students who are already struggling with workload and time. Also, Notre Dame High School, which we relied heavily on due to its diversity and numerical strength, could not participate due to the school workload and availability of students. However, we were able to work with two schools that showed interest – East Coast College and Great Yarmouth Charter Academy.

Event Execution

Despite the challenges outlined above, the final event, which held on the 3rd of July, was successful as the two participating schools created two films that were showcased on the day. Both schools produced films that highlighted the individual experiences of the students in the culture where they currently live (UK), addressing broader issues that affect their community such as language barrier, cultural difference, feeling of alienation, religion amongst others. Through their films, they demonstrated a strong sense of community and identity. We also incorporated activities that provided opportunity for the allies and the participating students to connect (Speed networking), as well as created a chance for students to further explore the theme of breaking barriers and boundaries. The students were asked to undertake a creative task (fun activity) by choosing a piece of art from Sainsbury Research centre and write an imaginative story on the selected object. The students demonstrated creative ingenuity and enthusiasm. Feedback from the attendees indicated that the event was inspiring, insightful, engaging and impactful to their community.

Allies

The Forum, founded by Uju Iyayi, is directly supported by University of East Anglia (UEA), Norwich University of Arts (NUA), and Norfolk Higher Aspirations Scheme. Their collaboration and support contributed to the success of the event. The Forum also boosts of allies from different professions, who bring their rich expertise and experiences to bear, motivating and supporting the students. Their presence at the event inspired the students, empowering them to transcend boundaries and barriers, be it social, cultural, psychological, or emotional to pursue the life they desire.

Impact/Reflections

The event marked a significant step towards the Forum’s aim which among other things include amplifying the voice of students from black and ethnic minority background. Although the event faced early setbacks, it achieved several positive outcomes:

• It provided a safe and creative space for the students to tell their stories
• It highlighted the importance of inclusion, representation, and diversity
• It offered opportunity for the allies, and students to connect, strengthening the community
• It generated interests in students for more community-based engagement as well as a desire for future collaboration among the allies