The 'My Place' project aims to creatively explore identity, belonging and 'home', with children and young people from racialised or marginalised* communities living in and around the Cairngorms National Park.
Through outdoor and indoor activity workshops with storyteller Sarah and filmmaker Hannah, we will collectively create something (the young people will decide what!) to share with the wider community that illustrates the young people's experiences, thoughts, and wishes for the future.
Young people's voices are often missing from view, particularly relating to the outdoors or the environment, and particularly from racialised or marginalised* communities. We want to help change that.
We hope this project will help find ways to connect to each other and where we live, find creative ways to express ourselves, learn new skills, and value our own voices. Above all, it's about care and connection - while having fun!
The project is kindly funded by the Cairngorms Trust in 2025 under their Park for All fund.
Register to participate in the project by Wed 24 Sept below!
*Racialised and marginalised are understood here to recognise that some people and communities have been categorised by white-majority systems, and that race and ethnicity are social constructs designed to privilege some people over others. The terms 'racialised' and 'marginalised' illustrate that people have been subject to outside forces acting to create their identity, and experience inequality and discrimination as a result.
Header image credit, with thanks: Naomi Huq/re*caste photography
Through outdoor and indoor activity workshops with storyteller Sarah and filmmaker Hannah, we will collectively create something (the young people will decide what!) to share with the wider community that illustrates the young people's experiences, thoughts, and wishes for the future.
Young people's voices are often missing from view, particularly relating to the outdoors or the environment, and particularly from racialised or marginalised* communities. We want to help change that.
We hope this project will help find ways to connect to each other and where we live, find creative ways to express ourselves, learn new skills, and value our own voices. Above all, it's about care and connection - while having fun!
The project is kindly funded by the Cairngorms Trust in 2025 under their Park for All fund.
Register to participate in the project by Wed 24 Sept below!
*Racialised and marginalised are understood here to recognise that some people and communities have been categorised by white-majority systems, and that race and ethnicity are social constructs designed to privilege some people over others. The terms 'racialised' and 'marginalised' illustrate that people have been subject to outside forces acting to create their identity, and experience inequality and discrimination as a result.
Header image credit, with thanks: Naomi Huq/re*caste photography
Project workshops
Designing the workshops
September 2025
Young people will help plan and design the workshops through lunchtime sessions led by Sarah and Hannah in schools throughout Badenoch & Strathspey during September.
Look out for a session in your school!
Designing the workshops
September 2025
Young people will help plan and design the workshops through lunchtime sessions led by Sarah and Hannah in schools throughout Badenoch & Strathspey during September.
Look out for a session in your school!
Outdoor activity workshop
Sat 27 September 2025
Aviemore - 3 hours
Outdoor activities in the woods based on stories, nature and objects, to connect with each other and the environment. We may explore some of the following questions:
Indoor creative workshop
Sat 11 October 2025
Aviemore - Drop in during the day for as long as you like
A chance to go wild and create something to share your thoughts, experiences or wishes. It might be a poem, a collage, a short film, a rap, a cartoon, a photo series...
We might end up making a zine to share locally with everybody's contributions!
What's a zine?! A zine is a handmade booklet, and can be whatever we want it to be! It doesn't need to be neat or tidy or perfect, just a way to express yourself. See examples below.
Sat 27 September 2025
Aviemore - 3 hours
Outdoor activities in the woods based on stories, nature and objects, to connect with each other and the environment. We may explore some of the following questions:
- Where is 'my place'?
- How, where and when do I feel most like ‘me’?
- What does the outdoors mean to me?
- What does belonging look and feel like to me?
- What changes would I make to the local environment or community?
Indoor creative workshop
Sat 11 October 2025
Aviemore - Drop in during the day for as long as you like
A chance to go wild and create something to share your thoughts, experiences or wishes. It might be a poem, a collage, a short film, a rap, a cartoon, a photo series...
We might end up making a zine to share locally with everybody's contributions!
What's a zine?! A zine is a handmade booklet, and can be whatever we want it to be! It doesn't need to be neat or tidy or perfect, just a way to express yourself. See examples below.
What then?!
After creating our expression pieces, it would be great to share our work. The young people will decide what and how they would like to share it - it may be an exhibition, printing zines to distribute across the Cairngorms, a film for social media... There may be other actions to take forward too - it depends on what comes up during the workshops. This is flexible!
After creating our expression pieces, it would be great to share our work. The young people will decide what and how they would like to share it - it may be an exhibition, printing zines to distribute across the Cairngorms, a film for social media... There may be other actions to take forward too - it depends on what comes up during the workshops. This is flexible!
Who can join the project
Children and young people from racialised or marginalised communities living in and around the Cairngorms National Park aged 7-17 can participate.
For example, this might include somebody who is Black, Asian, or with mixed heritage; somebody born outside the UK; somebody with refugee or asylum seeker status; or Gypsy Travellers.
You will need to have permission from your parent or carer to participate, and they will need to complete the online registration form below.
There is some support available for travel, to help ensure this isn't a barrier for participants.
Children and young people from racialised or marginalised communities living in and around the Cairngorms National Park aged 7-17 can participate.
For example, this might include somebody who is Black, Asian, or with mixed heritage; somebody born outside the UK; somebody with refugee or asylum seeker status; or Gypsy Travellers.
You will need to have permission from your parent or carer to participate, and they will need to complete the online registration form below.
There is some support available for travel, to help ensure this isn't a barrier for participants.
Project team
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Sarah Hobbs - storyteller
Sarah is based in Aviemore and runs Storywalks to place stories back where they belong in the landscape and skyscape – very literally re-storying the land. The main focus of Storywalks uncovers and highlights quiet, hidden or silenced voices within the landscape, for example women’s stories, or colonial history. She is an accredited storyteller with the Scottish Storytelling Forum.
Her work background is place-based community-led social justice and she has 20 years’ experience of working with the creative arts to help tackle systemic health and education inequities, particularly amongst minority groups and racialised communities. Her academic background is Arabic and Social Anthropology. Read more about Sarah here. She has a full PVG for working with children and holds a current Outdoor Emergency First Aid certificate. |
Hannah Bailey - filmmaker & photographer
Hannah is an award-winning director, producer and photographer based in Aviemore. She has worked editorially and commercially across action sports, adventure and the outdoors for over 10 years, with her productions spanning short film, TV, podcast, digital and curated stills.
Her work focuses on human stories and inspiring changemakers in the Highlands and worldwide. She has travelled to Afghanistan to document girls skateboarding in a conflict zone with NGO Skateistan, joined Patagonia and Vice in Albania to cover the fight to protect the river Vjosa, and continues to document inspiring outdoor communities on her doorstep in the Highlands. Her recent director credits include “Thrawn” with Patagonia Films, which addressed the importance of the snow community to face environmental and economic challenges for the future. Read more about Hannah here. |
REGISTER HERE!
The registration form below is for parents or carers to complete on behalf of the participating child or children. If you have any questions, please include them in the form, or email [email protected].
Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Registrations extended to Wednesday 24 September - please register by then.
Booking confirmation including more detailed information about workshop locations will be emailed out after registering. There is some support available for travel, to help ensure this isn't a barrier for young people attending.
All personal details you submit will be kept in accordance with GDPR and DUAA and used only for correspondence relating to this project.
IMPORTANT: I have been made aware there is a problem with the form below. While this is fixed, please email me ([email protected]) with the details below instead. Apologies for this!
The registration form below is for parents or carers to complete on behalf of the participating child or children. If you have any questions, please include them in the form, or email [email protected].
Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
Registrations extended to Wednesday 24 September - please register by then.
Booking confirmation including more detailed information about workshop locations will be emailed out after registering. There is some support available for travel, to help ensure this isn't a barrier for young people attending.
All personal details you submit will be kept in accordance with GDPR and DUAA and used only for correspondence relating to this project.
IMPORTANT: I have been made aware there is a problem with the form below. While this is fixed, please email me ([email protected]) with the details below instead. Apologies for this!