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‘Stepping Forward’ : How the Resilience Rucksack helps children move from primary to secondary school: A stop-motion animation!
Stepping Forward is about the Year 6 to Year 7 transition. Moving to a new school can bring up a big mix of emotions, including feeling nervous and excited! Building our resilience, and understanding how to look after our wellbeing, can help us to face these emotions during this time of change.
‘Stepping forward‘ is brought to you by The RR project and Boys in Mind. Together, we created a unique stop-motion animation film following the journey of a Year 7 pupil and their friend on their way to Secondary School for the first time. Watch the film on YouTube by clicking here!
Meet the characters
Our purple friend is a new Year 7 student, joining the big school for the first time. Our green friend has already joined the big school and is guiding their friend on this new journey… stepping forward together.
As the two friends make the journey to Secondary school, we follow their conversation discussing the four important ‘active ingredients’ that help our resilience and wellbeing, which are Sleep, Movement, Friendships, and Self-Kindness. The Year 7 pupil then gets to choose each of these ingredients to put into their Resilience Rucksack. But our purple friend has some questions! How can these active ingredients help? What are wellbeing and resilience? Find out in this exciting stop-motion animation co-created by young people for you!
About BiM…
The Resilience Rucksack Project works to empower children and young people, which aligns with the vision of Boys in Mind. Boys in Mind are youth centered, with young people at the front of everything they do. They work in partnership with children, young people and professionals in a range of settings to model and promote good mental health and prevent suicide, particularly among boys and young men. Boys in Mind spark conversations which can be life changing and live saving.
Together, we created a short stop-motion animation film. Boys in Mind understand the power of film to reach hearts and minds. Film enables young people to be heard and those filming to listen. Often, we don’t need to provide advice or solutions, we just need to listen, and filming is a fantastic way of observing and recording without interfering.
This animation is an exciting and creative way to reach young people transitioning between Primary School and Secondary School. Watch this film to discover more about four ‘active ingredients’ of wellbeing and resilience that can help pupils through this transition from Year 6 to Year 7!
Credits & acknowledgements:
Voices Evie & Theo
Animator Zenna A-H
Director of photography Jan Andes
Assistant animator Luci Hunter
Sound design Caullum King
Editors Luci & Zenna
Written by Research Directors Clea Desebrock & Agnes Tait
Executive producer Jim Cumpson
End credit music: ‘Somni – the RR Sleep & Daylight song’ by Al Witts & Clea de Sebrock
© Alan Witts & the University of Reading 2024
℗ Alan Witts under exclusive licence to University of Reading 2024
The University of Reading would also like to thank for their generous support: the Charlie Waller Trust, the Jasmine Foundation, and other donors and supporters.
Our grateful thanks also to both the Resilience Rucksack project steering consultation group and the young people representatives in the co-production workshops for their invaluable input and guidance in the creation of this film.