Faith meets film at SHARE 2020

Everyone has a story to tell. For young people in particular, learning to explore and communicate their own stories is vital to both their personal growth and their relationships with others. And for so many young people, the place they go to to laugh, learn, tell their stories and hear others’, is Youtube. The video-sharing platform is used by 81% of teens in UK, and hosts an almost infinite array of interests, social backgrounds and creative styles. It has both immense popularity and potential – through film young people can communicate the things that matter to them in a way previous generations could only have dreamed of.

We want young people to see that faith too is something worth talking about, but we know that ‘sharing faith’ can often sound aggressive, awkward or embarrassing. For two years now we’ve run our practical film school SHARE to help young people see that sharing their life and faith can be fun, creative and exciting. That through film they can find their voice and grow in confidence. Full of technical training and spiritual inspiration, Share is an annual residential designed to help Christian young people aged 15-19 explore faith and film together.

Eighteen students have now been through Share, run from Youthscape’s state-of-the-art Bute Mills hub. Each day of the course features masterclasses from professional filmmakers, editors and industry creatives, accessible sessions that cover everything from the art of storytelling to post-production. In 2019 that looked like 1-1 sessions with popular Christian Youtuber Dan Cutting, and hands-on teaching from international filmmaker James Chapman.

This is accompanied by practical workshops where they can put their new skills to use, and out-and-about socials that provide an opportunity for community, encouragement, fun and relaxation. Time spent in our chapel grounds the whole experience in Christian faith and community, helping young people think about how their faith interacts with their life.

The programme is generously funded by a grant-making trust, meaning that the cost is just £40 including all teaching, use of equipment, meals and accommodation. The next course, running from 16^th-20^th February 2020, is available to a cohort of 15 students.

Want to get involved, or know someone who would love Share? For more information you can visit the Share webpage linked at the bottom of the page. The brand-new promotional film for Share 2020 can be watched below.