As we approach the end of the year, the Jump Studios team have been reflecting on October Half Term. We had an exciting few days, as our creative courses welcomed new young people for the first time and saw young people already connected to KWMC come back for more.

Aquarium Photography Course (23/10/17 & 24/10/17)

Following on from our sold-out summer Animal Photography Course we took a trip to Bristol Aquarium to support young people to further develop their photography skills by capturing the beauty of ocean life. Learning to shoot photos in low light, the group had the opportunity to practice their techniques while learning about a variety of different sea creatures. From the well-known blowfish to the more obscure unicorn fish, the day broadened everyone’s knowledge of both photography and marine life – the staff as well as the young people!

The following day, young people met at KWMC to create stop motion animations inspired by the fish and marine life they saw at the Aquarium.

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Skateboard Design Course (25/10/17 – 26/10/17)

Our second Half Term course offered 16-25 year olds the chance to create designs for their own skate decks and learn how to laser cut the designs into the wood. The course used the facilities at our digital manufacturing space KWMC: The Factory and we were pleased to see a host of new faces. At the end of the course the young people could not only take away their newly-etched skateboards, but new contacts with other young people who share their interests.

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Our Half Term courses are designed to provide fun opportunities for young people to be creative and develop new skills – and we’re looking forward to our next holiday programme, taking place during the school break in February 2018 school break. Keep an eye out for more details and get in touch with the Jump Studios team if you’re interested in our term time activities.

On Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th November Knowle West Media Centre opened its doors once again for the annual South Bristol Gaming & Anime Expo. Attracting people from all over the city and beyond, the event pulled out all the stops, satisfying every gaming enthusiast’s taste for retro and modern gaming!

The two day Expo included a breadth of games that ranged from classics such as Sonic the Hedgehog and Crash Bandicoot to current favourites like the new Star Wars, which was played on a big screen in our main studio space. From the time the doors opened to the time they closed, there we people of all ages expressing themselves through play.

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One of the best reflections of our aim for the event was seen in the multi-player games that allowed families, friends and strangers alike to game together, bringing people closer and introducing others for the first time. To look out into the sea of people and see parents with their children and children with KWMC staff members was a heartwarming moment.

The Expo also hosted a series of workshops for illustrators and aspiring illustrators where anyone who took part could create their own manga drawings. Our Truth Room was taken over by the Space Data role-play game created by Eight: the game took teams of people onboard a crashing spaceship and challenged them to decipher data in a series of tasks in order to find a new planet to live on.

With one of the young people saying “this is awesome, it’s even better than I expected”, we’re excited to say that the 2017 Expo was a massive success. Here’s to next year!

Don’t worry if you missed this event: JUMP Studios runs a range of activities during term time. Click here for more details.