The animated short film series Tales of the One in Ten, highlighting the shocking statistic that 638,000 Australian children live in disadvantage [1 in 10], has made its way into schools across the country through Australian Teachers of Media [ATOM].
Individual study guides for both films – Alice & The Giant Emptiness and David & The Big Heavy have been prepared by leading educationalist Anne Chesher and are being made available to all schools across Australia, in an effort to both raise awareness and educate about disadvantage.
Produced by The Solid State for The Smith Family, the two films are:
Alice & The Giant Emptiness – a contemporary tale about a young girl living with the burden of disadvantage. Alice doesn’t have the right uniform, books or bag, and to make matters worse her schoolmates tease her, making her feel hollow and alone. Until one day a hand of friendship is extended that enables her to see she is a whole person, helping her overcome the negative self-image and the taunts of classmates to live a life full of possibility. Alice & The Giant Emptiness both enlightens and empowers.
David & The Big Heavy tells of David who comes to Australia with his family to live with his grandparents. The family is filled with hope in a land of opportunity, until the grandfather is taken gravely ill forcing the family to make their own way. David’s mother struggles to make ends meet and the children struggle at school, until they receive the help they so desperately need. Filled with motivation and hope for a better future, David is determined to work hard and make his mum proud.
The two short animations are ideal classroom learning tools as they deal with complex issues; from personal growth and emotional development, to bullying and financial hardship. But each story is ultimately a story of courage and hope.
Twenty year old Teigan Bryce, a spokesperson for the series, has been a beneficiary of The Smith Family’s Learning for Life program – along with her younger sister, Tenile – since she was eight years old.
“The Learning for Life program has meant a lot – The Smith Family has always been there providing the necessary financial support and programs to help us to do well,” she said.
“Because of Learning for Life I finished school and am now at university. Our lives have been enriched because of The Smith Family.”
“The Smith Family comes across stories like these every day and creating animations like this are a great way to help bring awareness and sensitivity to these complex issues,” said The Smith Family’s CEO, Dr Lisa O’Brien.
“Australia needs to be aware of the staggering statistic that 1 in 10 Australian children live in jobless families. This means that there are children who go to school every day feeling disenfranchised and alone without the right books, bag, uniform or skills to assimilate into school society.
“We are thrilled the animations have been so well received. By creating these films and study guides – and with the support of ATOM – we hope teachers will find new and interesting ways to inform and educate future generations of young Australians about the impact of disadvantage and give them ideas about how they can help,” said Dr O’Brien.
VIEW THE FILMS
http://talesoftheoneinten.com/
Alice & The Giant Emptiness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ahhY0qRdBw&index=1&list=PL70ojkIEwOdoRnmLaKi4uGyTWjz7I2z_u
David & The Big Heavy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjXjNif_4S4&index=2&list=PL70ojkIEwOdoRnmLaKi4uGyTWjz7I2z_u