Sandwell Academy: working with Brook on our VAWG awareness project 

Media students at Sandwell Academy completes work experience with Brook to create a meaningful animation about violence against women and girls. Here is how they did it…

When we started this project with Brook, we explored violence against women and girls (VAWG) and what it really looks like in the UK today. We learned that VAWG includes different forms of harm, such as domestic abuse, sexual violence, harassment and stalking. 

In England and Wales, around 5.1 million people experience domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking each year, with women more affected than men. 1.2 million women experience domestic abuse each year, and a woman is killed by a man every three days in the UK. 

Through discussions with Brook staff, we reflected on how these issues affect people’s everyday lives. We talked about how VAWG doesn’t just impact women and girls, but communities as a whole, and why it can feel difficult or unsafe for people to speak up or ask for help. 

Creating something meaningful 

As a group, we wanted to find a way to share what we had learned with others. After exploring different ideas, we decided to create an animated video as well as a poster. 

We chose animation because it felt like an engaging and accessible way to communicate an important message. It allowed us to present a serious topic creatively, helping people to better understand situations they might not usually think about or see. 

We also wanted our project to reach a wide audience. Raising awareness felt important not just for women and girls, but for people of other genders too, so that everyone can recognise harmful behaviours and be part of preventing them. 

What our video is about 

The purpose of our animated video is to express our voices and opinions about VAWG and to show how these experiences can impact people in everyday life. 

We wanted to create something that could: 

• help people recognise unhealthy or unsafe situations 

• encourage conversations about VAWG 

• show where support is available 

We hope the video will be used within the local community as a teaching and learning resource in other educational settings. 

Making a difference 

We hope our project helps raise awareness and supports people who may be affected by VAWG, especially those who may be vulnerable or targeted in society. We want more people to feel confident recognising when something isn’t right and to know where they can go for help. 

In the long term, we hope the message continues to reach new audiences and encourages ongoing conversations. We want the animation to continue making a positive impact in schools and the wider community for years to come and we hope our project helps people understand the importance of treating others with respect and kindness.  

Working together with Brook 

Being part of this project gave us the chance to share ideas, listen to different perspectives and work together on something we care about. It was a really positive experience and we enjoyed it greatly. 

Having students of different genders involved was especially valuable. It helped us understand different viewpoints and highlighted how everyone has a role to play in challenging harmful behaviours and supporting others.  

As well as learning more about VAWG, we developed confidence, communication skills and stronger connections with each other, and we feel proud to have created something meaningful that we hope will have a positive impact in our school and beyond.