Film by Inverness pupils puts spotlight on teen pregnancy
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A TRIO of teenagers have created a film for young people which aims to raise awareness of the issues surrounding teen pregnancy.
The production by Yasmeen Martin (15), Rheanna McGorm (15) and Chloe Corr (14) – all of Inverness Royal Academy – was shown at Highland Youth Parliament’s annual conference at Inverness College UHI this week.
Yasmeen played the lead character in the film which told two stories – one with a positive outcome and the other not so good.
They were helped by Growing 2gether and during their research they interviewed a number of health professionals.
They spent 18 weeks on their film project because they all felt so strongly about the subject.
Chloe, who wrote the script, said: “I’ve just always felt strongly about teen pregnancy.
“I just think it’s something that people don’t know a lot about.”
She added that she was surprised to learn the high proportion of partners who leave their girlfriends once they learned they were pregnant.
“It makes me angry,” she added.
Duncan Wilson, from Growing 2gether, said they had shown a lot of commitment to the project, adding: “It is a lot to achieve in 18 weeks.”
The two-day conference – held on Monday and Tuesday – was themed around young people’s rights to freedom of expression with sessions including peer support for young people’s mental health, climate change and education.
Highland youth convener Esme Leitch said: “I think young people are very issue-based and motivated by issues that they face and that they see in their communities.”
Kimberley Brown (16), MSYP for Inverness and Nairn, said she felt strongly about mental health issues, adding: “We talked quite a lot about it but it’s something I want to be talked about in the Scottish Youth Parliament.”
Douglas Wilby, head of performance at High Life Highland which was involved in the event, said: “Young people are an important part of our community – they bring life and vibrancy.”
