VOCAL young people in Harrow are competing against each other to make films about the evils of smoking.
Since September Harrow Cut Films has called on hundreds of teenagers and young people in the borough to work on a two-minute clip with their friends and submit it in to a local and national competition.
All the entires submitted before the May 2 deadline have a strong anti-smoking and anti-tobacco message and the contest is an aware-raising project funded by Harrow Council.
View a showreel of entries:
Ellie Louize Boyle, 15, who attends The Beacon Youth Club based at The Beacon Centre in Scott Crescent on the Rayners Lane Estate in South Harrow, said: “I really liked this project as it taught me about all the things that smoking does to your body and it not only bought us together as a community, I got to meet new people and we still remain friends.
“I would recommend getting involved in these projects as it was enjoyable and fun please check out my video - Knock It Out - on the website.”
Stacey Williams, youth worker for Harrow and Barnet for The Deborah Hutton Campaign that is running Harrow Cut Films, said: “At Canons High School we had an amazing response, there were 10 entries and they really got involved and picked up on it.
“Everyone has done a really good job, it is good for some people who are already in to film and for others it is good to get involved with the anti-smoking message.
“The entries we have had have been really varied, I have been quite impressed as some have made them without any support and they have done fantastically well.”
Ten schools have taken part in the project: Nower Hill High School, Heathfield School, John Lyon’s School, Belmont School, Park High School, Stanmore College, Harrow High School, Shaftsbury High School and Canons High School.
The youths groups involved are Shaftesbury Youth Club, a council-run club for children with learning difficulties at Shaftesbury High School, and from The Beacon Centre in Scott Crescent on the Rayners Lane Estate in South Harrow.
In total Ms Williams believes that she has spoken to 840 people in the borough about the project and roughly 200 have worked on 35 films.
Each borough will award a jury’s prize and a popular prize decided by a public vote on the Cut Films website at an awards ceremony at Harrow Arts Centre on July 1.
In addition all the films have been automatically entered into a separately-appraised national competition.
n To vote see competition.cutfilms.org
