Pupils from Kenton Bar Primary School recently experienced a taste of stardom as they travelled all the way from Newcastle to London, for the premiere of their short film, Recycle Woman. The film, created by the children as part of a wider creative learning project, was met with applause and enthusiasm from an audience of university students, staff, and special guests, including former Children’s Laureate, Michael Rosen.
The film was one of a number created by children as part of Critical Connections, an international, multilingual digital storytelling project developed by Goldsmiths, University of London. It empowers pupils to explore identity, intercultural understanding, and global citizenship through creative film-making in multiple languages.
For Kenton Bar Primary School, this exciting opportunity was made possible through the N.E.S.T Schools Programme, a Newcastle City Council School Effectiveness team collaboration project where student volunteers from Newcastle University work with sanctuary seeking pupils and their peers in Newcastle schools. The programme focuses on supporting pupils through reading, creative learning, and integration activities. Sarah Edgar (Newcastle City Council, School Effectiveness) introduced the school to the project and accompanied the children to the premier in London.
The film follows the journey of a young girl who transforms into a superhero determined to tackle pollution and waste in her community — a theme the children chose themselves, reflecting their own concerns about the environment and their desire to make a difference. From writing the script and designing costumes to acting and filming, drawing animations the pupils took charge of every step, guided by N.E.S.T volunteers.
“It was amazing to see how the children took the lead with creating their own story and characters in response to the theme of ‘Care, Community and Hope’. It was the hard work of our amazing volunteers – who were able to use their previous experience with filmmaking to support the development of the children’s ideas – which really brought the story of ‘Recycle Woman’ to life!”
Orlaith, N.E.S.T. School’s Project Intern
“The characters and the story were entirely created by the kids. They showed such beautiful creativity, and I can’t wait to be part of the project again next year. We sincerely encourage more kids to join us!”
Xinyue Hu, N.E.S.T. School’s Project Volunteer
Their trip to London wasn’t just a reward, it was a reminder of what young people can achieve when they’re given the tools and support to express themselves. For many of the children, it was their first time visiting London and stepping onto a university campus.
Pupils and the NEST student volunteers meeting the guest speaker Michael Rosen
“Working with the kids on the film was a total joy! They showed great initiative in creating the characters and story, and their wonderful drawings really helped to give the film its unique character! Getting the chance to travel to London with them to show their film at Goldsmith’s Global Filmmaking Festival was such a great opportunity, and the kids deserved all the praise they got!” –
Joel Fossard-Jones, N.E.S.T. School’s Project Volunteer
“How wonderful to see the creativity of these children as part of an international project on an important theme. Sarah Edgar and I have enjoyed working with Goldsmiths and Critical Connections during Express Yourself: North East Festival of Languages, where they shared five films made by children in their Multilingual Digital Stories project. It was a fantastic opportunity to introduce this project into Newcastle and the children, teachers, N.E.S.T volunteers did an amazing job. We hope more schools will be involved in future.”
Declan Baharini, Chief Executive Officer, International Newcastle and Festival Co-ordinator