A special project has taken place in Plymouth to ensure the children of service families have their voices heard.
It was started by the City Council’s youth participation team after members of the Military Kids Club (MKC) Heroes expressed concerns that schools did not always understand their specific needs.
To try and help them spread the word on what life is like as a child in a service family youth workers supported them to develop a film that could be used as a training tool for professionals working with children and young people to help explain the impact of living as part of a service family.
Sarah Harris Senior Professional Youth Worker from the Council’s Youth Participation Team said: “At the start of the project we received a lot of feedback from young people that adults who worked with them didn’t relate to the specific stresses that they go through and how it affects them. We encouraged the group to think about the problem areas and the type of things that help. This led to the young people developing a script based on their personal experiences. They then worked with an animator to bring their ideas to life.”
Part of the film focuses on the cycle of deployment. The 10 to 17 year olds who took part in the project used their experienced to develop this explanation of the cycle: “This is how our lives work when we have a serving person in our family. The cycle never stops. We are a family but we know a deployment will come so it is always in our minds. The deployment is announced and we have to get ready, we know what is coming but we really don’t want our family member to go away, especially if it is to somewhere we think may be dangerous. Also, deployment sometimes happens suddenly, with little or no time for us to prepare.
“When the deployment begins and we have to struggle into a routine without our loved one. We worry about them and those of us left at home being able to cope. We know when the deployment will end and as it comes close, we get excited but we are also worried about how things might change. When the deployment ends, the homecoming is great and then a new routine has to be set up which can cause friction and anxiety.”
The film was officially launched in June at the Armed Forces Covenant meeting and will now be shared with schools and children’s service providers across the city with the aim of opening up the conversation about how children of service families can be better supported.
Sarah added: “The group involved were keen to express how proud they were of their serving family members and whilst service family life can be a struggle, they know their parents are making a positive impact on the world.”
Councillor Mark Shayer the Council’s armed forces champion said: “As a Service child myself and as an ex submariner I know only too well how difficult long deployments can be for children and young people when a parent is away. I’m really proud that these young people have come together to produce this film to help teachers and other professionals working with children understand the unique challenges that Service families face.”
What life is like in a service family... from PCC Participation Team on Vimeo.