Summary
In partnership with the Binks Hub at the University of Edinburgh, Police Scotland's Youth Engagement Team and the Good Shepherd Centre, we worked alongside justice-experienced young people to co-create a series of creative resources exploring the impact of violence on young people's lives.
As part of the wider Safe Horizons programme, the project challenged traditional approaches to engagement by placing young people's voices at the heart of the creative process. Together, we produced two short films and a series of screen-printed artworks that offer honest, authentic perspectives designed to spark conversation, deepen understanding and inspire change.
Our Approach
Meaningful stories begin with meaningful relationships.
Using a trauma-informed, co-production approach, we created a safe, supportive space where young people could explore complex themes through creativity rather than traditional consultation. Through discussions, spoken word, filmmaking and graphic design, participants shaped every stage of the project, from the ideas explored to the final creative outputs.
Rather than telling young people's stories for them, we worked alongside them to help them tell their own.
Summary
Created for adults, this powerful spoken word film challenges audiences to look beyond headlines and statistics to better understand the realities many young people face.
Drawing directly from the participants' words, the film explores the normalisation of violence, the experiences that shape young people's choices, and the importance of listening before judging. It encourages practitioners, professionals and decision-makers to see violence through a different lens.
The second film was created for a younger audience, focusing on helping children and young people understand the potential impact of violence on their futures.
This film takes a more narrative-driven approach, exploring choices, consequences, and alternative pathways. It was designed to feel accessible and relatable, while still grounded in the lived insights of the participants involved in the project.
The intention was not to simplify complex realities, but to open up space for reflection and conversation about safety, decision-making, and long-term impact.
Graphic Design
Alongside the films, participants transformed key lines from their spoken word script into a series of bold poster designs, extending their stories beyond film into a visual campaign.
After learning digital design techniques using typography, colour and texture, the group developed their own graphic responses before collaborating with a Glasgow-based printmaker to bring the designs to life through traditional screen printing. The tactile process encouraged careful consideration of every word, reinforcing the value and permanence of the messages they wanted to share.
The artwork became more than a standalone outcome. The designs were woven throughout both films and helped establish the project's visual identity, creating a consistent creative language that connected the spoken word, animation and printed work.
Impact
Everyone Has A Story demonstrates the power of creativity to open conversations that traditional approaches often cannot.
The project gave young people with lived experience of violence the opportunity to shape resources that speak honestly to their peers while encouraging adults to better understand the realities behind the statistics. Rather than speaking on behalf of young people, the films place their voices, ideas and creativity at the centre of the conversation.
The films are now being used as learning resources to support discussions around violence, its causes and its consequences. Accompanied by workshop materials, they encourage other young people to reflect on the themes explored and respond creatively by producing their own poster designs. Using the same library of fonts, textures, imagery and graphic elements developed throughout the project, participants create visual responses in a shared creative language inspired by the original group.
In doing so, the project continues beyond the films themselves—creating opportunities for more young people to engage in meaningful conversations, express their own perspectives through creativity, and contribute to a wider dialogue about violence, hope and change.
A project in collaboration with...
A Braw Talent CIC production in collaboration with the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit and The Binks Hub.
Project Lead Lydia Everitt Project Lead Darren Osborne Motion Designer Zoe Buyers Screenwriter Lisa Keddie Dubbing Mixer Leslie Liu Filmmaker Emile Mbunzama Filmmaker Gordon Campbell Screenprinter Tintin Lindkvist Nielsen Creative Assistant Megan Guthrie Captioner Emily Benita