In April 2023, a group of 11 care-experienced young people took part in the No Place Like Home participatory film project. This was part of Coram’s Voices Through Time: The Story of Care programme, made possible by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
During the project, the young people worked with filmmakers Michelle Tofi and Edward Morgan from the TV production company Northern Town, which is creating a professional documentary about the Foundling Hospital in the 18th and 19th centuries. Across three full-day workshops, Michelle and Eddie provided the young people with some of the skills and technical know-how to make a film of their own, focusing on the theme of ‘home’.
The workshops covered ideas’ generation, shooting and editing, and the young people learned about the Foundling Hospital’s history – and the lives of some of the foundlings who lived there – during a visit to the London Metropolitan Archives. A total of seven films was produced over the course of the project. The young people were not limited to a specific format and made films that ranged from documentaries to short horror sequences.
Mikey Lynam, the Youth Engagement Coordinator on the Voices Through Time programme said:
“The work produced by the young people is super impressive given the short time frame everyone had to work in. We are incredibly pleased and are happy to be sharing the results!”
The young people’s films are available to watch below. If you can’t see the films, you will need to enable ‘Marketing’ cookies by using the icon in the bottom left.
The Key by Keziah-Kae
In her film, Keziah-Kae discovers the various meanings of home: a place to feel powerful, safe and loved. She reflects that home is not always physical – and the keys to our homes might be different for each of us.
What Makes Your Home Yours? by ABS
In her film, ABS interviewed the public about the music and food that reminded them of home. When she asked what made them happiest and the improvements they’d like to make, she really got them to open up!
What Home Is… by Billy
For his film, Billy interviewed other young people on the film project, asking them ‘what does home mean to you?’ He asked them to describe the food that made them feel most at home. It turns out it’s different for everyone!
Birds in London by MY and Chari
MY and Chari went vox pop in their film, taking to the streets of Bloomsbury to ask the public what home means to them. The answers were many and varied but it seemed there was one thing everyone could agree on – “I think it’s not so much about the place. It’s more about the company”.
IKD What This Is by YA
In her film, YA used music, voiceover and creepy shots to give the Coram Campus and nearby St George’s Gardens a tense, suspenseful atmosphere. It certainly got us nervous – we’re not sure that lunch breaks will be the same again!
Living Life in the Warm Yellow by ABD
Made in the first sunny week of Spring 2023, ABD’s art film reflects on the nature of sunlight. It gathers shots of the urban environment, considering the way sun transforms our experience of the city and transports us away from it.