The school bells are ringing and students are rushing to find their new seats in class. The start of school has already rolled around, and with it Woven Threads is considering the importance of education. Educating people on the social issues that affect our world is one of the most important things we do at Woven Threads. Each series participant trusts us to communicate their story to our audiences in order to grow empathy and respect for people who have had diverse life experiences.
Stories from Within: Emma tells the story of Emma Paino, a peer support worker who has lived experience of trauma. Emma’s episode details the trajectory of her life: from being adopted to ending up in hospital to finding her passion as a peer support worker. Emma tells stories of her lived experience in order to encourage hope in those suffering with mental health issues. In order to honour Emma’s story, Woven Threads has paired it with beautiful and accessible animation so that people all over Australia can be inspired by Emma’s resilience. We have worked with the Black Dog Institute to conduct research which demonstrates that this method of communicating stories is effective in educating audiences.
If you’re a parent or teacher looking for new and innovative ways to educate your children, we recommend checking out our teaching resource with the Australian Children’s Television Foundation. This resource looks at our first series, Stories from Afar, to examine how young people can engage with stories about refugees in order to build empathy from a young age. Schools and tertiary institutions can also access Stories from Within on Clickview.
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Just a few months ago Woven Threads’ series Stories from Within received the ATOM Award for Best Web Series. The ATOM Awards celebrate the best of Australian and New Zealand screen content from the education sector, so it was a great privilege to receive this award. So, good luck to everyone in the new school year and remember to tune in to Woven Threads series Stories from Afar and Stories from Within for all your back to school needs!