If we give them opportunities and learn to listen, anything is possible.
Lisa Zimmermann, CEO
About the project: Switched
Switched is a youth-created film and workshop project focused on ending Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) by involving all young people, not just those typically seen as directly affected. Recognising that prevention is everyone’s responsibility, Integrate’s young people led the creation of a short drama that challenges assumptions and calls for shared understanding and action.
Young people were involved in every part of the process, from writing and acting to directing and editing. The film became the centrepiece of a UK-wide workshop series delivered by trained peer educators. These sessions combined storytelling with open discussion and reflection, breaking the silence, challenging stigma and giving young people the knowledge and confidence to recognise risk and seek help.
Switched not only changed attitudes in classrooms, it influenced how schools and professionals think about safeguarding and how prevention works best when all students are informed, included and empowered.
Impact results
| Stat | Impact |
|---|---|
5147 | Young people reached through peer education workshops |
40 | Peer educators trained to deliver sessions |
500% | Increase in participants who said they would report FGM concerns to a teacher (Source: Internal evaluation, 2024) |
