VOICES OF CHILDREN PROGRAMME

Sky Works has a long history of creating documentaries with individuals who have a brimming need to tell their story to change what needs to be changed. More recently, we have welcomed and encouraged children to tell their stories.

Our first success with children was Kids Care, a project dealing with the grief and loss of a loved one. The documentary allows young people to be heard in such a way that their friends, teachers, and family members can respect their privacy and complex thoughts and emotions while offering appropriate comfort. Since its launch in 2005, Kids Care has been screened in over 60 communities across Canada and it is still being purchased and used by community groups and schools.

The Kids Care experience underscored not only an opportunity but a need. We want to continue what was started with Kids Care, and to do it better by continually incorporating the learning, and shifting our practices to respond to the differences in issues.

The Home Safe series is devoted to the experiences of children and families who have experienced poverty and homelessness. The young people in this film speak of their feelings of shame while living with great economic insecurity. They talk about their guilt in creating financial burdens for their parents. At the same time, they have helped themselves and each other by re-creating and holding on to “normal”, by playing softball, and board games or making friends with the kids at the shelter. They contributed to their family’s needs by taking on paper routes and working in fast food restaurants. They are very thoughtful and expressive about their situations and have shown real courage in their decision to speak out through the documentary. They want to help other kids and families who are dealing with the same hardships.

Living with Miracles, a film in production, will introduce a group of unforgettable kids dealing with the challenges of living at home with complex medical needs. Through their insights into disability, autonomy and quality of life, these children will create a powerful tool for promoting public awareness and battling discrimination.

When mental health is compromised, when cancer strikes, when people lose jobs, when evictions occur, when someone dies- children are always affected. These children are the storytellers and mentors and Sky Works is committed to providing a forum for their voices.

Since 2005 and looking ahead, Sky Works is prioritizing the engagement