Let Me Speak
Plan International
summary of project
As part of an extensive research project exploring girls and young women's rights in the UK commissioned by Plan International, Media Education was invited to run an accompanying creative research project in the form of a workshop series entitled ‘Let Me Speak’. In an attempt to understand more about the experiences of girls and young women, and identify what changes need to be made to improve their lives, the resulting research of the ‘Let Me Speak’ workshops contributed to the State of Girls’ Rights in the UK 2024 report. This followed from previous reports conducted by Plan UK in 2016 and 2020. These publications have been instrumental in turning a spotlight on girls’ rights in the UK and have been used by policy makers, voluntary sector organisations, the media, and other stakeholders.
Working across the four nations of the UK, we ran creative workshops alongside focus groups and narrative enquiry research to understand the concerns of young women and girls aged 12 - 25. Welcoming all cis, trans and intersex young women and girls, as well as young non-binary and gender fluid people, the workshops took place in Great Yarmouth, Blackpool (England), Cupar (Scotland), Derry (Northern Ireland) and Neath Port Talbot (Wales).
The workshops involved research-related discussions and creative sessions to produce various artworks including zine making, photography, poetry and films on the topics discussed. Members of each group were invited to submit any artworks to Edinburgh College for an accreditation in Access to Media.