“I just love this garden. Being able to share it with a wider audience has been very special,” said one of the pupils behind a school garden project that has now been turned into a film being seen by children from all around the world.
The group of Featherstone High School students spent several months working on their film, as part of completing a course in filmmaking run by Mad Courses. They then presented the film at an international online event called a Docothon. They met with different schools from around the world and specifically shared their film with 3 other schools from Hong Kong, Manilla and Nairobi. They also shared their film at a further event in Melbourne last week – and got invited to another event later this month in the Netherlands to present to an even wider audience.
Zahara, one of the pupils, in Year 8, said: “Sharing our film with an international audience and watching films from other schools has been really fun.”
The course and film was funded by the Green School Network – a collaboration between community climate group ActForEaling and Ealing Council.
Ayra, also in Year 8, said: “We all learned something new from this filmmaking project and making a film about nature and the benefits to young people has been very inspiring.”
Bridging gaps for other pupils
The topic was Bridging the Gap and the students put together their film based on how pupils and staff developed a school garden over the past couple of years, which now proudly features an eco-pond. Last year, the project got a big boost when the school was the winner of a Big Green Ideas competition for local schools run by the Green School Network. Featherstone was awarded £1,000 in prize money to help make its pupils’ idea for a biodiversity, carbon-capture pond become reality.
Pupils involved in the project wanted to help ‘bridge a gap’ for students who do not have outside space at home and give them the chance to get involved with gardening at the school. The garden has also served as an outdoor classroom and with the pond (partially funded by Ealing Council through the Big Green Ideas competition win) being used as a teaching space, particularly for science and geography.
Nura, a Year 9 pupil, added: “We have bridged a gap with our school garden project, providing a safe space for students to be outdoors, experience nature and get hands-on experience such as planting seeds.”
In the picture above, you can see 5 of the Featherstone pupils who helped to make the film. From left to right: Soniya, Zahara, Arya, Nura, Harjot
Global recognition
For all of this work, the students have gained a credential from RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology). The Global Perspectives Leader credential recognises students who demonstrate global awareness and leadership by sharing their documentary, leading dialogue with peers from different countries, and reflecting on issues beyond their local context. It validates students’ ability to engage thoughtfully with diverse perspectives through storytelling.
By being invited to another international event later this month, at the Amsterdam International Community School’s Global Citizenship Day on 30 June, the school will also earn Open Planet’s Storytelling Leader Credential.
Leaving a legacy
Harjot, also from Year 9, said: “This filmmaking project has made me realise how much nature can bring people together. We were delighted to share our film to other schools. We built new skills and helped each other. It made me very happy to see how much our team cares about the environment.”
Soniya, now in Year 11, has been working on the garden since Year 9. She said: “I just love this garden. The whole project has been a great experience and being able to share it with a wider audience has been very special. Nature is so important and is full of surprises and I am so happy to leave this garden as a legacy. I will never forget the time I have spent.”
