A group of unemployed young people on a Prince’s Trust course in Bath have created a thought provoking film about the attitudes and perceptions towards disadvantaged people.

The film was created as part of a three-week course called Truth about Youth, which helps young people gain the skills and confidence they need to find a job.

The course, which is run by youth charity The Prince’s Trust and funded by The Co-operative Foundation, helped the group aged 18 to 23, to learn about script writing, research techniques, recording, planning, acting, directing and editing.

With support from Bath-based charity, The Genesis Trust, they researched and created a 10 minute film called Popcorn and Prejudice, which aims to break down the pre-conceptions of the homeless, disadvantaged or socially vulnerable.

During the course, they developed valuable skills to help them find employment such as job interview techniques and presentation skills.

Gareth Evans, 20, from Bath is currently on the course. He previously studied film-making but has been unemployed for six months, with occasional part-time work. He says: “I’ve learnt a lot of new things as we’ve been filming around Bath, talking to lots of different people, looking at how prejudice and assumptions can get in the way of who people really are. Everyone on the course is great, we’re around the same age and many of us have gone through similar experiences.”

The group visited The Genesis Trust’s Lifeline Centre and Lunchbox projects to draw inspiration for the film, while production company Forest Lane provided specialist training.

The film was screened to an invited audience at The Odeon in James St West on Monday 7 October.

Annette Johns, Programme Executive from The Prince’s Trust, says: “This is the first time we’ve run a Truth about Youth course in Bath and the interest was high. The programme is a great opportunity for unemployed young people to build their confidence levels and develop new life skills to add to their CVs, while giving them the chance to get their voices heard.”

They will be given ongoing support for three months after the course by The Prince’s Trust to help them find a job. Three in four young people helped by The Prince’s Trust move into work, education or training.

A documentary about how the film was made will be released shortly.