Codename F - What does Freedom mean to you?

Edinburgh International Book Festival will this year focus on freedom of speech, movement, expression and identity. Now, in a celebration of Scotland’s Year of Young People, the Festival's young programmers ask you to consider what freedom means to you.

Mysteriously titled Codename F, the project covers topics chosen by the young programmers, including gender, religion, women’s rights, the environment and free speech.

In an event titled Freedom to be Heard, the programmers invite people of different ages to start much-needed conversations around these topics.

A drop-in day of debate and activities will take place in Edinburgh on Tuesday 14 August, and people of all ages from across the world are encouraged to take part by submitting their own thoughts before Friday 13 July.

To take part

All you have to do is complete the sentence "Freedom Is…" either by holding up an A4 sign with the completed sentence, or by recording a short film of 30 seconds or less explaining what freedom means to you.

Entrants' photos and videos should then be submitted via email to learning@edbookfest.co.uk. If your video file is too large to send by email, the Book Festival is recommending you use WeTransfer - a free, easy-to-use web-based file transfer tool. Submissions should be sent by Friday 13 July.

The collected submissions will be displayed as part of a specially curated display at the Freedom to be Heard event in August.

Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events at VisitScotland said:

We are delighted to be supporting Codename F at the Edinburgh International Book Festival as part of the Year of Young People celebrations. The young programmers have come up with an incredible line up of events and it is great to see genuine co-design and collaboration at work with one of Edinburgh’s major festivals

Events such as this further reinforce Scotland as the perfect stage for events whilst also allowing the next generation to showcase their unique talents and have their voices heard.

The Book Festival’s young programmers are a group of 8-14 year olds from schools in Edinburgh’s Craigmillar. 

For the last four months, the Young Programmers have been exploring different aspects of freedom, translating their ideas into an exciting series of events which include authors such as Michael Morpurgo, Julia Donaldson, David Walliams, Helena Duggan and more.

Freedom to be Heard kickstarts the Codename F programming and sets the tone for a challenging, exciting and relevant programme of events. Don’t miss your chance to be part of it by submitting your own thoughts on what freedom means to you before Friday 13 July.

Codename F is one of the many ways in which Edinburgh’s festivals are marking Scotland’s Year of Young People 2018, a celebration of the country’s 8-26 year olds. 

Edinburgh International Book Festival takes place from 11-27 August 2018 with Codename F events taking place between 14-26 August. Find full details of the Codename F series and how to get involved in Freedom to be Heard at the Book Festival website

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