Film It! is an award winning registered charity working with young people at risk: in the community, in prisons, in secure children's homes and hospitals. We aim to enthuse, engage and educate socially excluded and 'at risk' young people by offering them opportunities to work for positive change for themselves and others. The students take part in creative workshops with a strong film making element and in doing so gain skills and qualifications which help them move forwards to a more productive and stable future.

 The workshops offer the young people many opportunities including:

* A chance to see a different more positive future
* A chance to gain skills that are needed in the workplace
* A chance to create a CV to gain employment or further training

At the heart of Film Its work lies the understanding that vulnerable people need to address social behaviour and self esteem issues before being ready to move on to employability skills and the gaining of key qualifications. It is only when a person is feeling stable, positive and well supported that they can begin to look at formal learning. For our young people a Film It! workshop aims to support them out of crime, homelessness and the benefits culture, into meaningful and enjoyable work or further study.

Current projects are:

Parents in Prison: If family contact is maintained throughout a sentence, the offender is six times LESS likely to re offend on release- our user led 3 year project funded by the DCSF looks at innovative ways of maintaining these links, including ‘video messaging.'

Don't Go Mad: Women prisoners on the Film It workshops give advice to new prisoners on how to deal with 'bang up'. Drawing on their own experiences, the women encourage new prisoners to view custody as a positive time for reflection and change.

Fix: An interactive DVD for 10-13 year olds in the penal system experiencing or at risk of acute mental ill health. It is for use by those considered to be too unwell to leave their cells or unable to work with others. Issues explored include coping with incarceration, understanding mental ill health, changing destructive behaviour patterns and seeking help.

Straight into Film: 6 groups of young offenders/ ex offenders/ those
at risk from around England made short films based on their lives and experiences, amounting to a fascinating snapshot of young people from around the country. ‘Hostel Life' recently won Best Broadcast at the C&YPN Positive Images Awards 2008. See www.straightintofilm.org.uk www.straightintofilm.org.uk for the finished films and young people's blogs.

Fly Me Home: A group of young homeless people will make, build and fly a hot air balloon to raise awareness of the ‘hidden homeless', a term to describe the 300,000 young people living in hostels, B&Bs and temporary accommodation in the UK. Being vulnerably housed affects health, behaviour and education and it's a growing problem. Currently unfunded, Film It plans to raise funds by turning the balloon into a ‘flying petition'; members of the public/companies can ‘buy' an area of the balloon and sign/draw/message the balloon to show their support.

For more information please visit http://www.film-it.org.uk/ .