The 'My Place' project creatively explored 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 collectively created a 'zine' (a handmade booklet) to share with the wider community illustrating the young people's experiences and perspectives of living here.
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 was kindly funded by the Cairngorms Trust in 2025/26 under their Park for All fund.
*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 collectively created a 'zine' (a handmade booklet) to share with the wider community illustrating the young people's experiences and perspectives of living here.
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 was kindly funded by the Cairngorms Trust in 2025/26 under their Park for All fund.
*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
September - October 2025
Through a short series of project workshops - at Kingussie High School, in the woods near Aviemore, and a creative indoor workshop - young people explored aspects of what they liked and disliked about living here, what was important or meaningful to them in life, where they felt like 'home,' and what nature or the outdoors meant to them.
September - October 2025
Through a short series of project workshops - at Kingussie High School, in the woods near Aviemore, and a creative indoor workshop - young people explored aspects of what they liked and disliked about living here, what was important or meaningful to them in life, where they felt like 'home,' and what nature or the outdoors meant to them.
Browse the zine!
Click to download and view:
Click to download and view:
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. |