SpeakOut_December2014_FINAL_eCopy

BRANCH news south australia

Well done to our Short Film Competition winners!

South Australian school students turned to smartphone technology to demonstrate the importance of communication in a short film competition as part of the International Communication Project (ICP2014). Posing the question, “Why is communication vital to life?”, members of the Community Awareness working group asked school students to highlight the importance of building awareness of communication as a basic human right, and the impact communication difficulties can have within schools and the community. The competition was open to students enrolled in year levels 6–10 in South Australian schools. Entries were to be two minutes in length and produced using a smart device to demonstrate how communication can be shared using modern day technology. The winners of the short film competition were Year 6 students Cameron, Olivia and Jordan from St Paul Lutheran School. Their short film titled Save Me was produced at their school and it can be viewed on the Speech Pathology Australia YouTube page . The students were presented with certificates and prizes at the school assembly and many thanks go to Event Cinemas, Hoyts Cinema and Stephanie Mallen at Mindfield Book Gallery for their generous donations. In an interview, Cameron, Olivia and Jordan shared their thoughts behind creating the short film. Cameron, the film’s creator and editor, is a keen filmmaker and was inspired by the competition. Olivia and Jordan, the two actresses in the film, were keen to inspire other children to improve their communication and participate in the film because it was for a good cause – despite one student having a little stage fright. The students shared their knowledge of how speech pathologists help the community in various areas, with two of the students speaking about personal

experiences of working with speech pathologists individually and with their families. In response to the competition’s question, “Why is communication vital to life?”, the students felt that communication is part of our everyday life and if people were unable to talk, write, email or text each other there would be no way to tell others how and what we were feeling and thinking. Cameron, Olivia and Jordan commented that it would be difficult for people to access the help they needed if they struggled to communicate with others. The students felt that without the ability to communicate, an individual would struggle to learn and it would be more difficult to develop as a person. On reflection the students felt that there would be little point in living as part of a community, as you wouldn’t know what the people around you expected of you. Above: Competition winners Jordan, Olivia and Cameron from St Paul Lutheran School created the short film Save Me to highlight the importance of basic communication in people’s lives. Right: The competition prizes were certificates and donations from Event Cinema, Hoyts Cinema, and Mindfield Book Gallery.

Cameron, Olivia and Jordan encourage other students to support Speech Pathology Australia as an association, particularly their local practicing speech pathologists, as they help people with special needs. Agreeing that communication is often difficult for many people, the students felt that when individuals are able to receive the support they need, communication becomes less complicated for everyone. The Community Awareness working group members of the SA Branch Executive would like to thank all who participated in the short film competition and encourage everyone to continue to promote and challenge others about why communication is vital to their lives.

Abbey Homfray Community Awareness Working Group Leader, SPA SA Branch

24 Speak Out December 2014

Speech Pathology Australia