Topic: Activism

A short film following the experiences of two young women’s neurodivergence (Autism and ADHD) and the difficulties they encountered in the education system as they journeyed to understand themselves. This documentary highlights the issues surrounding diagnosis for women and girls in the UK and was created in partnership with the BFI during the BFI documentary residential 2024.

Transcript

Not So Typical

S1 00:00:03:12

As a kid, I didn't really realise that I thought differently and I felt

differently. I just felt like a bit of an outsider at times, and I felt

like I didn't fully have control in how I was behaving and how I

was feeling as much as other people did.

S2 00:00:23:19

I had so many friendship issues in school. Um, primary school

and secondary school specifically because I wasn't diagnosed, I

ended up calling myself a nomad friend. I would move from

group to group. I actually struggled really badly with bullying.

That period of my life of just being like, I can't change who I am

and you're bullying me for it. I got really upset.

S1 00:00:45:06

I remember always feeling like I couldn't settle into a group in

school. I got bullied quite badly through like year 7 to year 9 and

that was all surrounding, like how I was like, and I never really

fully understood it. But people were just always like, you're too

much like you're too loud. You're too intense. If I didn't do my

homework, it was because I was lazy or my attendance was really

low because I couldn't be bothered to come into school kind of

thing. Whereas there was actually like an issue that was going on

that was just completely undetected. I was diagnosed with ADHD

at 17 years old. I think when it came to getting my diagnosis, it

took quite a long time. There's always waiting lists. I started

looking into getting the diagnosis at around 15, and I didn't

actually get my formal diagnosis and assessment until I was 17.

Clip: bfi_doc_2024_not_so_typical (Original).mp4

2 / 3

S2 00:01:45:14

I was diagnosed with autism when I was 16, a month before my

17th birthday. My brother's diagnosis was the spurring point of

mine. Girls are diagnosed later than boys, especially with autism

and a lot of medical conditions. When they first did the research

on the topic, they only did it on white boys. They only use them

as their subject, and so their symptoms, in a way, are the ones

that they look for.

S1 00:02:13:13

I actually don't really know how I got through school with it

being undetected by teachers, because I think, to be honest, like

when I look back, I was quite textbook ADHD. I am someone that

can't sit still. I've always been fidgety. There's a lot of issues with

concentration. I've just felt very misunderstood at school and feel

like when you're not made for the society that we live in, you are

isolated within such a massive group of people and it can feel like

so detrimental to like your mental health. When I think about it,

it makes me feel really sorry for that girl, because at the time I

was only like, you know, 14, 15 and when you feel like you don't

fit into like society, like society was not built for you, you like, you

have no other place to go.

S2 00:03:12:02

Primary school. I used to cry in a corner when I was

overwhelmed, and it was a corner because no one could come

behind me. I was safe, no one could touch me. I was there, but it

was a lot of almost loneliness. At secondary school I just hated

the noise. It was always really loud and so I liked to sit outside,

even if it was raining, because it's not noisy outside.

S1 00:03:36:15

When I actually got my diagnosis. I remember speaking to my

mother was being like, it's crazy that that was never suggested to

us. I got tested for bipolar, I got tested for all sorts of things, but

they never even thought about it.

Clip: bfi_doc_2024_not_so_typical (Original).mp4

3 / 3

S2 00:03:50:21

I find with a lot of people I've spoken to, they're like, oh, they

said I had borderline personality disorder. They said I had

bipolar. Um, and they get all these misdiagnoses because

everything had been done for men. Why aren't we talking about

something that half the population of the world goes through or

will go through in their life?

S1 00:04:10:20

I think when it comes to women, there is a lot of issues when it

comes to getting diagnosed because women's ADHD can

manifest in such a different way. I think because women in

general kind of have to put on a facade anyway. We're used to

performing. That's constantly what I've been doing my whole life.

When I was a child, I was always told I was bossy. So then I think

I then internalised that and I was like, I can't be that because

people don't like bossy women. So yeah, I definitely tried to be

something I wasn't, but then that made it so that I was just

struggling inside. Whereas now, like I viewed the world just

completely differently after I got my diagnosis.

S2 00:04:53:06

My diagnosis did empower me. It kind of gave me a reason, and

with a reason I could go about doing the things I wanted to do. It

definitely gave me freedom, and I feel like I found empowerment

in the freedom.

S1 00:05:05:13

I'm so much healthier with my mind. I'll take up however much

space I need.

Not So Typical

Video length - 06.03

Published date - Apr 2024

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Downloadable resources

The climate crisis is having a deep impact on the world around us, how we live our lives and how we feel. With a global increase in web searches of the term ‘climate anxiety’ (up by 4,590% from 2018-2023) this film is a timely exploration of the emotional effect of climate change through one individual’s remarkable true story.

Joycelyn Longdon (Climate in Colour) takes us on her journey across the intersection between social action and climate activism, shedding light on the urgent need for change and deepening our understanding of the intricate relationship between the environment and our well-being. She answers the question, ‘what is ‘climate anxiety?’ And can we cure it?”

Transcript

CLIMATE ANXIETY

S1 01:00:02:02

Yeah, one of the other con.

S2 01:00:06:01

I've always been interested in nature and the environment. Like any Brit, I grew up watching nature programmes on TV. However, I lived in London where I didn't have much access to nature, but there was a local meadowland where I used to go running.

S2 01:00:21:07

I remember going on a trip when I was younger to Northern Ireland. We visited an ancient wood and it was there that for the first time I felt a deep connection to nature, so when my friend invited me on a march for nature, it seemed like the right thing to do.

S2 01:00:37:15

At the climate march, maybe I was a little naive, but I didn't realise the extent of climate change.

S2 01:00:43:14

I felt overwhelmed by the information on the signs and banners. The people there were not like me, and it was a shaming experience where a lot was expected of me and I left it feeling isolated and I didn't belong.

S2 01:00:57:06

I felt lost. I wanted to do something, but I didn't know how I could get involved. How do I break into the space? If this is who climate activists are, if this is what I meant to be like, then I don't fit in.

1/6

Clip: CLIMATE ANXIETY H264 MASTER.mov

S2 01:01:11:22

Often when we are presented with a threat, it triggers one of three responses fight, flight or freeze. Many people feel so overwhelmed by the threat of climate change, they freeze up and become apathetic or immobilised. Many want to run away from the problem. To ignore it. To dismiss it. To tell themselves it's not real or won't be that bad, or that some invention will save us, but I have always been someone who, if they see an injustice or something wrong in the world, I am motivated to fix it.

S2 01:01:49:07

But what am I meant to do as an individual? How do I get involved? I felt like an outsider. Okay, so I'll change what I can. Food. Clothing. Travel. But others were not doing the same, and this felt stressful and frustrating and my climate anxiety was still there.

S2 01:02:10:09

My thoughts were telling me I could always do more. I always do. Could always do more. I could always do more. The overwhelming feeling, the racing thoughts, the tight chest, the constant questioning and blaming myself and if I was doing enough was making me depressed.

S2 01:02:31:18

The climate crisis is a huge topic. It is affected by and affects so many different aspects of the world, from environmental to social to economic to political. It's clear that seemingly small changes can have a huge impact on someone somewhere in the world.

S2 01:02:51:13

For every tree felled, every half a degree of temperature rise, there will be worse hurricanes, wildfires or floods, which may devastate someone's home, because climate change is such a broad issue. I worry I'm not using my skills in the right area.

2/6

Clip: CLIMATE ANXIETY H264 MASTER.mov

S2 01:03:09:09

At its very worst, this causes me to feel overwhelmed and like I want to disappear. I knew from past experience that exercise is a great way to combat these feelings. Exercise releases chemicals and hormones into the brain that affect how you feel, which can help us to feel less stressed and more clear headed.

S2 01:03:33:03

Another thing I found helpful was the switch off to stop thinking about it, to take a break and to escape either through a good book or film, or by going for a walk, especially in nature.

S2 01:03:45:12

Nature has been proven to have an incredibly calming effect when I go for a walk in nature, whether that's in a park or a local word. I don't listen to music. I try to notice the world around me the birds, the sounds, the plants, the trees, and try to stay present with it and realise I am a part of nature, but my climate anxiety was still there.

S2 01:04:11:00

Talking about concerns and worries was also very important, but it took me a while to realise the best way to do this. I would talk to my friends about the climate crisis, but we would easily fall into a spiral of oh, isn't this bad? Or did you hear about this negative climate news story? And sometimes talking about it can feel like action, but it isn't.

S2 01:04:33:04

It is important to share those feelings and to get them off your chest. But now what I found is that if we talk about it in terms of ideas or solutions, by sharing groups or campaigns which are tackling these issues, then together we can turn those feelings into action, but my climate anxiety was still there.

3/6

Clip: CLIMATE ANXIETY H264 MASTER.mov

S2 01:04:54:15

This was because I didn't realise that climate anxiety is also a result of a failure of the systems of power, from government to big business that impact us all.

S2 01:05:05:03

At the same time, I'd become aware of racial justice issues around the world and thought, what can I do? How can I help people of different races being treated unfairly throughout the world? I set up a group of creatives called Black and Black and I wrote articles, I designed leaflets, and I organised events. The more I learnt, the more I realised that racial justice and climate justice are linked.

S2 01:05:30:05

People in other countries who had contributed the least to cause climate change, suffering the worst effects of it. I found this deeply unfair. I found a way in to the climate movement. And my voice and my identity not only belonged, but a useful. The skills I developed through racial justice campaigning are the same ones needed in the campaign for climate justice.

S2 01:05:56:19

We put so much emphasis on looking to one person, one hero to save us, whether that's Greta Thunberg or whoever. But some people believe that if they're not doing as much, they have no right to be involved.

S2 01:06:11:09

But no one action will change the world, and no one person is so important that without or with them, they would bring an end to climate change. It will take all of us. Each of us doing what we can together.

4/6

Clip: CLIMATE ANXIETY H264 MASTER.mov

S2 01:06:29:04

They say that action is the antidote to anxiety, and it's not just a phrase. So I set up an Instagram account called Climate and Colour. I never expected it to grow in the way it has, which made me realise I was not alone.

S2 01:06:45:13

I used to worry that I didn't have a purpose or have the ability to make a difference. So I did something about it. I decided to do a PhD to become a doctor in Conservation technology, looking at how tech can monitor changes in forests and improve the variety of animals within them, with the hope that if I can work with local communities to help protect wildlife, I'll be making a difference.

S2 01:07:08:22

I know that my climate anxiety is not cured. It will not go away permanently, but I now know that it's a perfectly normal response to climate change. Not only is it normal, but I'm proud of it because it shows I care.

S2 01:07:23:20

I now use my climate anxiety as a tool. I do not let it depress me or overwhelm me, but to empower me and motivate me. It motivates me on my journey, a journey that has taken me to some amazing places and to meet some inspirational people.

S2 01:07:39:00

I have been privileged enough to speak on panels, and to decision makers and world leaders about the climate and biodiversity crisis, but I now know that no single individual can do it all, and it's important not to think that as an individual, all of the responsibility lands on my shoulders, because no one can be a perfect activist, and it's important to be tolerant and to recognise and respect others.

5/6

Clip: CLIMATE ANXIETY H264 MASTER.mov

S2 01:08:02:16

Everyone is on their own journey and their own path, and what works for you might not work for others. So I try to live my life and lead by example.

S2 01:08:12:00

When I started my journey on that March all those years ago, I felt like I didn't belong. I felt shamed and made to feel guilty that I wasn't doing enough. But now those marches are much more diverse, and there are so many different groups representing so many different aspects of the climate crisis. But you don't just have to attend climate protest to be actively doing something for the climate.

S2 01:08:33:18

You can help researchers by surveying the bird or insect species in your garden. You can find out about tree planting organisations and volunteer days near you. Whatever your passions and interests, there will be a space for you in the climate movement.

S2 01:08:46:23

So just think what you could do. But remember that you're not on your own. We won't solve the climate crisis with individual action alone. You can be part of a wider movement of people pushing for the change we need, and be proud of your climate anxiety and let it lead you to action.

6/6

Climate Anxiety

Video length - 09.15

Published date - Nov 2023

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Downloadable resources

Climate change is a global pressing issue. It affects everyone, irrespective of their religious beliefs. In this film, viewpoints on the climate crisis are explored and we hear about how different faith communities are coming together and focusing on what binds them together to help combat some of the problems the world is facing. The film features representatives from Faith for the Climate, Islamic Relief and Christian Aid.

Transcript

CLIMATE CHANGE: MULTI-FAITH VIEWS

S1 00:00:00:00

Today we have set up an interfaith stall in lower marsh in London in front of the offices of Islamic Relief UK and Christian Aid, who are both members of Faith for the Climate. They are part of the network with the support of our other members as well, from Buddhist, Hindu and Sikh and other Christian backgrounds and Muslim backgrounds. And we're trying to get people to understand that rich governments and big polluters in the world need to do more to support the communities in the worlds that are suffering from the worst impacts of climate change, especially since they've done the least to cause it. So this campaign is called Make Polluters Pay, and it's about paying up for the loss and damage that's suffered in these other communities in the world. And so often in the news headlines, we see how faith can become a divisive force in the world. But what we know is a network that's doing work on the climate emergency is that there are people of every single faith who want to come together for purposes like this to save the planet for environmental justice. And they come based on different teachings in their faith traditions. So the Buddhists in our network talk about their belief in the interconnectedness of all life. The Hindu based traditions talk about non-violence. The Muslims will talk about the need to respect balance or misan in creation or the trusteeship of God's creation. The Christians will talk about good stewardship. The Jews will talk about tikkun olam or the need to repair the world. And lots of pagans in our network will basically worship nature. When everyone comes together and shares these different teachings, they realize that even though we come from quite different backgrounds, we do have a common purpose. I actually used to work with an oil and gas company in Malaysia, and this is how I saw firsthand how the fossil fuel industry causes environmental damage and then tries to wash its hands off it. There is a concept in Islam that's really important for me personally, which is torba repentance, and there's always hope if you repent. So actually doing climate justice and human rights work, for me, it's now a kind of

1/4

Clip: multifaith_and_climate_cut_5 (240p).mp4

repentance from having been part of the fossil fuel industry. There is a tradition about the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him in Islam, and it's when a companion of his comes to him a little bit distress and asks him, Please help me to think about sin and righteousness. I want to know the difference. And the prophet jabs him in the heart three times and says, Ask yourself, ask your heart three times. The prophet says that he explains, Sin is that which disturbs your heart. Even though other people say something might be lawful and righteousness is you acting on that, even though other people tell you you don't need to act on it. And this is known as the fatwa or the ruling of the heart. And that is something I hold very close to me. If my heart tells me something is wrong, I know that the prophet says I should listen to it. How could you possibly love God if you don't love your fellow human beings? It's as simple as that. And what does love mean? Love means helping people when they need your help. In the Abrahamic faiths, it's about caring for the stranger, the visitor, the poor person, the orphan, the person in need. That's love. How can you love God if you don't do that? And if we think about what the climate crisis does, it actually makes people lose their homes, lose their jobs, lose their families, lose their health. If you think about how they have to deal with extreme heat and drought and floods and the illness that comes with that, if they're facing that, how could we possibly love God if we don't love them and help them? So one quote that I've come across in my line of work really inspires me. It's from Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, who was an American rabbi who actually supported the civil rights movement there. He marched alongside Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. So this was in itself is a beautiful example of interfaith friendship. But what Rabbi Heschel said and he was talking in the context of racism and the Holocaust was few are guilty, but all are responsible. And I think that is the way we need to think of what we can do in the climate crisis as well. We all have a role to play. If you know that you are in a position where you have more power and privilege, how can you use more of that power and more of that privilege for climate justice, especially to help people who have less power and less privilege and are suffering more from the climate crisis than you are? So

2/4

Clip: multifaith_and_climate_cut_5 (240p).mp4

this is why whatever we do, whatever choices we make, won't just affect people on the other side of the world. In the global South, we will be affected to all of us together. If not today, then at some point in the very near future. And this is why it's important for all of us to take action together.

S2 00:05:01:06

As a muslim or those who follow the Muslim faith. We strongly believe in environmentalism. We believe that it's rooted in our tradition. It's rooted in scripture. We looked at the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him as a guiding source for for us in terms of emulating his characters and his attitude to things. And he really valued the environment. And so it's very important for us as Muslims to act on that. We believe that God places on his earth as stewards to look after his green planet. And so that is what inspires me in this role. As I work for Islamic Relief, it inspires me as a muslim and as a worker to do more in this space, because I believe that is something that it serves my religion but also the greater good for the planet.

S3 00:05:39:07

So I think it's important as a Christian to look after the planet because God gave it to us as part of a creation and gave us a role to be a steward over this. It's part about also about showing love to each other and to all elements of nature. And that's part of our faith. We are called Jesus showed us that example to show love to everyone, every neighbor, every individual, everything in the world, every living creature. I think it's everyone's responsibility to look after the planet. And we each can do it in our own individual lives and our own actions. But also it's really important to recognize that governments and companies which have larger power have a larger responsibility. They're global and international. They're big organizations with lots of power, and they can change the structures of our whole world.

3/4

Clip: multifaith_and_climate_cut_5 (240p).mp4

S2 00:06:20:08

I think working with other faiths is a fantastic way of bringing people together in a neutral space. For many people, we come from all walks of life. We may believe different things. We might we may feel, you know, follow different deities. But actually, at the heart of it, we believe in some very fundamental principles. It's wonderful to be here today on the sunny, really bright day, working with colleagues across faiths to come together around a combined message. It's great to feel that we're doing something to combat the climate crisis in our own way, as well as just come together around positive action.

S1 00:06:50:06

And I wake up in the morning and I come across news about some climate disaster in the world or another, you know, the damage that private jets are causing or the Arctic sea ice melting or wildfires somewhere and people dying. I get really hopeless and terrified and helpless. But when I come out and do things like this and I realize that there are people around me, even people of different faith traditions, but we connect so well because we are so passionate about this issue. I feel inspired and I feel energized. I feel like it's going to be a challenge, but we can do this if we do this together. If you are anxious about climate change, talk about it. There is actually value in making your feelings known and talking to people who feel the same way that you do and finding support with them. And then you realize that it doesn't stop there. You can do things together. You can talk about this with more people and then you can start talking to anyone your local MP, local councillors, local faith leaders, schools, businesses. There are so many charities like Friends of the Earth or Christian Aid or Cafod that have local chapters as well that you could get involved in. And then we realise that when we get together we can do things from very small local actions to the really big stuff that's about changing the system at large and we can do it together.

4/4

Climate Change: Multi-Faith Views

Video length - 08.13

Published date - Sep 2023

Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

Downloadable resources

Rise Up 5: Tyler – Tyler’s story concludes the Rise Up short films, showing our four young climate activists being interviewed by Tyler, now a professional journalist reporting in 2025 from a climate summit. In the interviews, they each give advice to their younger selves.

This short film is part of the Rise Up series at the centre of How Will You Reboot the Future? – a campaign by Reboot the Future empowering educators to start new conversations on the climate crisis and support young people to take action.

To download the accompanying teaching guide, as well as the inspiration behind the films, a new novella by Jonathon Porritt, visit www.globaldimension.org.uk/resources/campaign-tyler

Rise Up 5: Tyler

Video length - 05.36

Published date - May 2021

Keystage(s) - 4 and 5

Rise Up 4: Jay – Jay’s story splits into three different timelines as we follow a teenager whose various approaches to speaking up and acting on the climate crisis are each effective in their own way.

To download the accompanying teaching guide, as well as the inspiration behind the films, a new novella by Jonathon Porritt, visit www.globaldimension.org.uk/resources/campaign-jay

Rise Up 4: Jay

Video length - 05.03

Published date - May 2021

Keystage(s) - 4 and 5

Rise Up 3: Jamal – Jamal’s story, told through the lens of his friend Tyler’s handheld camcorder, features a school student in inner-city London with a love of growing and cooking his own food, and a dream of becoming a chef.

To download the accompanying teaching guide, as well as the inspiration behind the films, a new novella by Jonathon Porritt, visit www.globaldimension.org.uk/resources/campaign-ja

Rise Up 3: Jamal

Video length - 07.08

Published date - May 2021

Keystage(s) - 4 and 5

Rise Up 2: Erin – Erin’s story, featuring sweeping footage of the Norfolk coastline, follows a teenager passionately protesting about the climate crisis as she watches her grandfather’s home crumble into the sea.

To download the accompanying teaching guide, as well as the inspiration behind the films, a new novella by Jonathon Porritt, visit www.globaldimension.org.uk/resources/campaign-erin

Rise Up 2: Erin

Video length - 08.31

Published date - May 2021

Keystage(s) - 4 and 5

Rise Up 1: Lahari – Lahari’s story, told through a series of TikTok-style videos, features a prospective law student in Mumbai, who uses her platform to influence the law on air pollution.

To download the accompanying teaching guide, as well as the inspiration behind the films, a new novella by Jonathon Porritt, visit www.globaldimension.org.uk/resources/campaign-lahari

Rise Up 1: Lahari

Video length - 05.58

Published date - May 2021

Keystage(s) - 4 and 5

Film Can Change The World

Film can be used as an activist tool. Franny Armstrong, from Spanner Films, speaks about the power of film and how her documentary (‘McLibel’) has helped to change UK advertising laws.