Domestic abuse is raised with pupils as Inverness Women’s Aid (IWA) launches new leaflet designed by Nairn Academy student Skye Carroll with the message I’m worried about mum
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Inverness Women’s Aid (IWA) has worked with staff and pupils at Nairn Academy to develop a leaflet for children and young people to raise awareness of how domestic abuse might affect their own family.
The leaflet promotes the services offered by IWA to support children, young people and families experiencing domestic abuse.
Skye Carroll won a competition to produce a winning design.
Copies of the leaflet have now been printed and are being distributed to all secondary schools in Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey during February.
Elaine Fetherston, manager at IWA, said: “This project is a fantastic example of how we can work with the talent and skills of our local schools to develop resources to raise awareness about the far-reaching impact of domestic abuse.
“Having young people closely involved in the development process means this leaflet will really speak to the children and young people using it.
“Many children and young people in our area experience the impact of domestic abuse so it is vital that they have guidance and information about their rights and have a voice.”
Skye was just 15 years old when she, along with her peers in S5 at Nairn Academy took on the project for their higher graphic communications studies.
IWA talked to the group about the issue and how young people can be enabled to access IWA support and knowledge.
They were asked to consider the language used and the concerns and worries many young people might have.
Skye came up with the heart-wrenching title – I’m worried about mum – which really encapsulated what many young people speak about to their IWA workers.
The new leaflet is aimed at secondary school pupils and highlights that all relationships have ups and downs, but that domestic abuse is something much more significant with far-reaching consequences for every member of the family.
Information around the UN Rights of the Child has also been included. IWA has had the leaflet printed at Lucid Racoon Printers in Merkinch, who were impressed by the design saying that they thought IWA had paid a professional team to create it.
Skye said that winning this project increased her awareness and understanding about domestic abuse. The whole experience helped her gain confidence in her work and enabled her to understand what she wanted to study in the future and she has since gone on to study graphic design at Napier University in Edinburgh.
Nairn Academy tutor Liza Anderson said that it had been a fantastic opportunity not only for the students, but that all the pupils had benefited from the awareness raising about domestic abuse.
It was her fellow pupils who ultimately voted Skye’s leaflet as the one they wanted printed.
