news • 21 July 2023
The Saturday Club class of summer 2023 graduates
Participants in Escape Studios’ Film and Media Saturday Club for 13-16 year olds got to celebrate all their hard work on July 16th with a graduation ceremony at Somerset House! The Summer Show and graduation is the last event in the Saturday Club programme, gives an opportunity for members and their families to celebrate their involvement in the club, which provides an introduction to the world of animation, games and VFX. This year, we had 12 club members attend the graduation and our team was very proud to present their certificates of achievement to them and be there to celebrate their dedication to our club at Escape Studios.
What’s more, this year, Jay Blades MBE from the BAFTA award winning show ‘The Repair Shop’ gave a speech at the Private View event which was for tutors, organisers, investors, and partners of the Saturday Club.
Jay said: “All I wanted when I was young was to find something to do and be happy. If I had access to something like the Saturday Club when I was young, I would have jumped at the opportunity. To be in a space where I was learning a craft I was interested in, my dreams would have been bigger at a younger age.”
The graduation kicked off the Summer 2023 show, also at Somerset House. The club were asked to present one of their creative pieces that the members had been working on throughout the programme. Our club members decided to exhibit their group project which was based on the brief ‘Cartoon Fantasy Land’, and they worked in groups to create these still, animated images.
During the Saturday Club Programme this year, club members had the opportunity to visit Adobe and learn new software skills. As part of the day, attendees were able to get creative and come up with products and services to advertise. The day was a great change of scenery and motivating for the club members to apply their skillset to a professional environment.
Stella Coleman, age 14, said: “ I was really lucky to discover the National Saturday Club and a remarkable opportunity at Escape Studios that not only ignited my passion for creativity but also allowed me to make some wonderful friends my own age... a big highlight was when Escape Studios organised a trip for everyone and were welcomed to the offices of Adobe. Stepping into a world-class company and meeting the Adobe team was so inspiring and made me think about what I want to do when I finish school.”
About the Saturday Club: The National Saturday Club is a publicly funded outreach programme which aims to involve 13–16-year-olds in a creative subject at a local institution. At Escape Studios, we organise a Film and Media Saturday Club at our campus where members can learn about animation, games and VFX. Our next club starts on 14th October and runs until February 3rd – applications are open now.
