'Hidden Others' Short film Competition

Most teenagers enjoy the comfort of their beds. Some parents might think they enjoy it a little too much. But 26,000 young Australians between the ages of 12 and 24 don’t have a bed to call their own. In fact, people under 25 make up 42% of the total homelessness population in Australia.

The Salvation Army ‘Hidden Others' Short Film Competition offers individuals or groups between 12 and 18 the opportunity to create a five minute film highlighting how homelessness is hidden and the underlying causes that affect so many young people across our country.

Not many people are aware of the reasons young people leave home and as a result there are many assumptions or stereotypes. Domestic or family violence is the number one reason young people escape from their home to find an alternative place to stay safe; this is never as easy as it sounds and without support can lead to a lifetime of disadvantage.

This exciting and innovative competition was launched in Victoria last year and in 2016 the competition was expanded to include South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia. Young people were invited to create a short film that challenged the ‘sleeping rough’ stereotype and demonstrated the causes of youth homelessness and the different ways young people experience it.

Students responded with engaging, thoroughly informative and superbly filmed stories. Our judges were simply blown away with how powerful and thought provoking the films were.

Well done to all the participants - the 19 films entered were of an incredibly high standard, and each took a unique angle to approach the problem of youth homelessness. Thank you for helping raise awareness for such an important issue.

   Congratulations to the 2016 winners!

Tegan Joiner from Sacre’ Coeur in Melbourne
(view on YouTube) 

Taylah Mott, Ashley Eyles and Grace Larkin from Geneva Christian College in Latrobe, Tasmania
(view on YouTube)  

Thank you to everyone for the time taken to develop, film and edit your entries. The Salvation Army is extremely grateful for your efforts.

 
The winning students will participate in a film making course to assist them in developing their film making skills. To view the winning films and the other finalists, please visit the Facebook site at https://www.facebook.com/YHShortFilmCompetition/

The film competition is an initiative of the Schools Development Teams. Our aim is to engage with young people to raise their awareness of social justice issues and the work of The Salvation Army. We do this by offering programs and workshops to students in both primary and secondary school.

The programs and workshops challenge students to feel empowered about making a difference and to bring about social change. To find out more about the programs for your local area, please contact your state representative at http://www.salvationarmy.org.au/en/get-involved/Schools-involvement/