BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma Creative media students from South West College recently produced and premiered a short video highlighting anti-social behaviour in the Omagh town area.
Omagh campus students in collaboration with the Police and Community Safety Partnerships (PCSPs), who supported the project and the Omagh Community Policing team have been working together for over a year to produce the documentary, that addresses anti-social behaviour in Omagh town and aims to increase engagement between generations. The wider message of the film is to CARE about the community: Connect, Act, Reflect and Engage.
As part of their coursework, students researched and engaged with the community, including Campsie Residents Association, the community church, car enthusiasts and local business owners to explore and identify issues the town is facing and what solutions could be implemented to address them.
Each first-year student was responsible for a portion of the film, coming together then to deliver the final version. The students found this an enriching project and gained a better perception of the town and the issues it faces. One of their main focuses was to highlight intergenerational disconnect from older members of the public ‘misunderstanding and feeling ‘intimidated’ by groups of youths.
The innovative film was launched at the Strule Arts Centre on 21st November to an audience of family, local resident groups, PSNI and local community representatives and was well received. It was praised for its ability to challenge our misconceptions of anti-social behaviour and intergenerational disconnect as well as the importance of community and helping bring together the young and the old.
Students involved in the project hope the film will raise awareness of what antisocial behaviour is amongst their peers and community and that it will have a positive impact on the community.
As a result of the high standard of work and professionalism, the video will be shown in schools, community events and displayed in the local station to raise awareness and highlight current issues that the PCSP have been dealing with for quite some time.
Sergeant Johnny Hamill from the Omagh Community Policing Team said: "I cannot praise the students enough. The whole experience demonstrated just how well prepared and committed the students were. A huge amount of work and preparation has clearly gone into this, and we are very much reassured that this will be a beneficial and impactful video."
Due to the success of the project, PCSPs and the Media team are planning to collaborate on more projects with future initiatives on Road Safety and to keep this project up to date over the next few years.