Cinema to screen climate change documentary produced by Chichester Free School students

The film is the result of a project led by Chichester District Council's Youth Engagement Officer, Jo Losack, which began last September. She has been working with Year 10 GCSE Media students, in partnership with Strong Island Media and Chichester Harbour Conservancy. The project also involved the council's Environment team who provided extra guidance.

The project has provided the students with an exciting opportunity to combine their media studies with real-world experience. Strong Island Media delivered workshops with the students, helping them hone their filmmaking skills which they were then able to put into practice by creating the documentary.

Filming took place around Dell Quay with support from Chichester Harbour Conservancy and focuses on the issue of climate change and highlights concerns in the Chichester area, and steps that people can take to help.

"We are very proud of the work our Community Engagement team do and as a council we are committed to working to tackle climate change," says Tracie Bangert, Cabinet Member for Communities and Wellbeing at Chichester District Council.

"The effects of climate change will affect all of us but especially so for younger generations, so we are thrilled to see young people engage with this issue and to have this project recognised with a screening at the New Park Cinema.

"Our Community Engagement team do excellent work in the district to help our young people to become more active citizens in the community and participate with projects that can provide them with useful experiences while also benefitting the local area."

Jonathan Brown, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environmental Strategy, Chichester District Council, adds: "While the council continues to work hard on the issue of climate change through our Climate Action Plan, it's also really important to keep promoting how people can get more involved on this urgent issue."

"It's fantastic to see the students take such an active role on a topic as important as climate change. Although climate change is widely understood as a global matter, some people may be less aware of the effects it has on a local level. We hope that the students' documentary will help raise awareness of its effects on our district."

The documentary highlights a wide range of actions that people can take to be more environmentally conscious in their local areas. These include reducing litter; using more efficient transport methods; shopping locally; and avoiding buying 'fast fashion' clothing items.

People can find out more on the work that the council's Communities Team do across the district, as well as ways to become more involved in their community, by visiting our Community and Living webpages.

If people would like to find out more about the steps that the council have taken towards tackling climate change, they can visit our climate change section of our website which also lists some ways in which individuals can make a difference.

Date of Release: 20 June 2023                                                  

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