In the month of May, our STEM Girls opened an exhibition in our space showcasing weeks of hard work with The Young Women’s Movement. In this collaboration between our organisations, the families and friends of our amazing STEM girls along with members of the community were invited to the exhibition to see the results of their creative project working with the talented artists and staff at The Young Women’s Movement to create a final showcase of all the incredible work they had done over the previous three weeks.
During this project working with The Young Women’s Movement, the groups planned, storyboarded and animated three short stop-motion films shown at the exhibition, focusing on the effects of climate change and the consequences we and our planet could face if young activists like them aren’t listened to. They also created LED animations with slogans concerning women’s rights and climate activism.
We asked The Young Women’s Movement what the process was and how it was working with the STEM Girls;
“During the three ‘Activism Through Art’ workshops, we explored creative actions for social justice and gender equality with the group, paying close attention to how these shifted and evolved across generations in the room. We studied a range of activist artworks covering topics of migration, LGBTQIA+ rights, climate emergency and feminism to open conversations about what change we want to see in the world, and how these conversations may be prompted through our artworks. With such an array of technological expertise within the group, it felt important that the proposed works utilised these skills to explore the intersections of art, technology and activism. After voting on a series of proposals, the group decided to make 2 artworks, one exploring gender inequality and protest, and the other climate collapse; two themes that the group felt needed to be brought to attention in the context of Scottish Parliament.
“The resulting pieces, LED programmed protest placards and stop motion climate animations were entirely co-created by the group during sessions and they were delighted to have the opportunity to work together in this way. It was a joy and privilege to work with the STEM Girls to imagine potential futures together and equip the next generation with their own creative languages toward meaningful political change.”
The short films focused on climate change consequences such as the Antarctic ice sheets melting, endangered species like polar bears soon going extinct and mass flooding. We asked why they believe the girls chose this to be the focus of their project;
“I think the climate collapse is an anxiety facing young women and girls today. Young people are facing the most uncertain of futures in the face of environmental destruction and having young people lead the climate action movement is direct inspiration for them to take action themselves. This was also an activist cause that was able to span the generations in the room unlike any other, and with women and children being the biggest victims of displacement, it was interesting to work at these feminist intersections.”
STEM Girls has always focused on the empowerment and activism of young women as a driving force for our future and collaborations such as these give opportunities for young women to engage in activism and learn about themselves in the process. We asked TYWM why community and activism projects like these are valuable for young people;
“The opportunity to discuss the changes we wish to see in the world and ways in which we feel marginalized is incredibly empowering for all young people.
“It can allow us to gain perspective of the differing experiences of others and seek commonality with those who share our beliefs and struggles. Through creative mediums, we can begin to better access those parts of ourselves and find our voice in alternative ways all whilst developing new skills. Having authentic communication about tangible change and lived experiences shouldn’t be gatekept from younger generations. The arts should be better utilized within societies at all levels as a powerful tool through which to practice self-expression and everyday activism in a way that is accessible to all.”
“It was inspiring to see the pride that the young people felt to be a part of such a long-standing initiative, and the support and respect shown across a range of ages and backgrounds. The STEM Girls are an incredible initiative that I hope is able to continue years into the future, and I hope to be welcome back soon! A group like this for me when I was younger would have been invaluable to my personal development.”
At Paisley YMCA, we strive to provide empowering and educational projects for young people through youth work and STEM-related activity and this exhibition has so far been one of our young people’s biggest achievements, being displayed in the Scottish Parliament and showing their families and loved ones examples of the work they do here at STEM Girls every week. We are extremely grateful to The Young Woman’s Movement for collaborating with us on this project and working with our STEM Girls and we hope to see more of them in the future!
This programme was made possible through the Youth Arts Open Fund from YouthLink Scotland, Creative Scotland and the Scottish Government. For more information about our youth work activity, check out our social media pages such as X, Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin and Eventbrite.