Over the Edge (ATOM study guide)

Over the Edge is edgy, raw, eye-opening television about troubled Indigenous teenagers challenged by their lives, addictions, triumphs and ever-changing family situations. It follows on from the series On the Edge, and from the repeated requests creator Fran Dobbie has received from viewers of that series asking about how the teenagers featured are doing.

On the Edge followed a group of Indigenous teenagers from western Sydney as they took a physical, emotional and spiritual journey to discover who they are. Filmed in the western Sydney suburbs, the series expanded to include their families and their local community with insight into the context of these young people's lives. Edgy topics such as drugs and alcohol, truancy, and self-harm were tackled head-on. The teenagers spoke in their own voices about why they do the things they do.

In Over the Edge we revisit the teenagers now aged eighteen to twenty and invite them to share how their lives have changed since their involvement in the series. Some will feel pride, some will feel shame at having their lives exposed – life isn't what they thought it would be. We go into their homes, talk with their families and meet their newborn children. We see their successes, joys and fears.

Curriculum Links

Over the Edge is most suitable for middle and senior secondary students (Years 9–12). The issues and themes explored could also make the documentary suitable for screening to younger students taking part in targeted student wellbeing programs.

Teachers should note that the documentary contains coarse language and drug references. Harsher language is censored. Teachers should also be sensitive to the fact that students in their classes may have experienced issues similar to the young people in the documentary.

Over the Edge can be used in studies of English, Media Arts and Health and Physical Education, as well as the General Capability of Personal and Social Capabilities and the Cross-Curriculum Priority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures.