David & the Big Heavy

David & the Big Heavy is part of the Tales of the 'One in Six' series.

With an estimated 680,000 children living in disadvantage in Australia, this short film series was created to highlight the plight of disadvantaged children in Australia and the barriers they face in gaining a comprehensive education.

Based on a real-life case study, David & the Big Heavy tells of David, who comes to Australia with his family to live with his grandparents. The family is filled with hope in a land of opportunity, until the grandfather is taken gravely ill, forcing the family to make their own way. David's mother struggles to make ends meet and the children struggle at school, until they receive the help they so desperately need. Filled with motivation and hope for a better future, David is determined to work hard and make his mum proud.

Students of all K–12 learning levels will engage and identify with David. This short animation is an ideal classroom learning tool as it raises issues from personal growth and emotional development, to empathy and understanding, through to our society and values.

David & the Big Heavy has precise alignment with the learning outcome goals of the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (2008). The Declaration states that the goals are 'central to the nation's social and economic prosperity and will position young people to live fulfilling, productive and responsible lives'.