Youth Just Us, a group of care and justice experienced young people based in and around Glasgow are collaborating with Liminal Studios to create digital stories using virtual reality technology via a series of workshops taking place in Glasgow in May.

As a result of negative portrayals in the media and cultural landscape, young people with care and justice experience can often face stigma and discrimination and this is an area which Youth Just Us are looking to challenge.

Using the latest virtual and augmented reality technology, the workshops aim to contest the notions of power and labels and to support young people to write their own stories and co-produce digital media utilising verbatim audio to protect privacy. The interactive augmented reality outcomes of the project invite audiences to see how stigma and discrimination feel through the ‘eyes’ of our fictional persona characters. Participants will be able to learn more about the trauma-informed creative process and audiences will be asked to explore what action they can take to tackle stigma and discrimination. The creative outputs from the project will also be showcased at the National Youth Justice Conference in June. Watch this short video by Liminal Studios to find out more.

The innovative workshops will take place on Monday 15 and 22nd May from 6pm – 8pm in central Glasgow and are open to anyone aged 16 – 25 with experience of the care and justice system. Pizza will also be provided (hence the dough reference). To take part, please email [email protected] or visit www.staf.scot/youthjusticevoices

Ruth Kerracher, Youth Justice Participation Lead at Staf/CYCJ said

“We are really excited to collaborate with Liminal Studios. It’s something which has been in the pipeline for some time now after building strong connections with John’s previous work during the Independent Care Review. At Youth Just Us we are passionate about driving change through creative and meaningful youth-led participation opportunities. So it’s the perfect partnership to change the narrative and amplify voice”

Kevin Lafferty, Youth Justice Voices Participation Consultant said "This isn't the first-time members of YJU have acquired skills in digital technology to creatively explore their experiences and to highlight learning opportunities they feel are nestled inside their accounts of living within a system. We have the expertise of Liminal studios to navigate us through augmented reality and VR storytelling but know the real stars of the show are the young people taking part, again aiming to influence the actions of those in power and have their voices heard"

John Morrison, Liminal Studios said

"We are delighted to have this opportunity to collaborate with Youth Just Us. Ruth and the team have done a fantastic job at nurturing a safe and brave participation space at Staf, where we can come together to celebrate creative expression. The project will explore trauma-sensitive applications of immersive technologies as a means for the young participants to have more control over their own narratives and to develop empathy among audiences regarding how stigma feels."