Over the half-term week, the young people had 2 opportunities in which they were able to get involved in.
On Tuesday we had Loudspeaker in to provide a confidence-building and present yourself workshop. This workshop focussed on giving young people the tips and tricks they need to build their confidence, embrace who they are, how to use their newfound skills in interviews/presentations/jobs and everyday life, all whilst being their unique self!
Over the next three days, 10 young people were involved in the Youth Voice project provided by Derby Theatre where they discussed and decided on a topic which they felt passionate about – they chose Equality. They then worked with a Laura who works in theatre, and Joe who is a music producer and DJ to create an art form to represent their topic. They ended their project with 1 rap and 2 separate dances exploring equality and sexism.
From day one, you could see incredible growth in confidence from all the young people, beginning their day with Loudspeaker not wanting to speak in front of anyone and some feeling shy introducing themselves – but with a day full of the tips, tricks and amazing ice breaker games, they ended the day on a presentation selling a pointless object (diet water, pet rocks, two-person hoodie etc) and only 2 young people didn’t present which was amazing to see! They all got stuck in with the activities, asked questions and built so much confidence in such a short space of time.
The Youth Voice Project then gave these young people the opportunity to show their newfound confidence and skills whilst creating an art piece that they felt passionate about. Every young person that attended got more stuck in than I could have ever hoped for! All bringing something different to the project from dancing skills, leadership, teamwork, lyric writing and so much more! They decided on day one that they would look at equality, including sexism, sexuality, racism and culture. In the space of 3 days, the group created a 2 and a half minute rap in which 6 of them were recorded to be part of, 1 dance focusing on how schools won’t allow a girls football team, and another dance looking at women at work. This showed their pure determination, motivation, and encouragement to get this project completed to an amazing quality! These final products were then seen/heard by Rukus the Baby People Ambassador, and our ambassador Molly Windsor who was so impressed with what they had achieved! To celebrate what the young people had achieved in such a short space of time, we then held an awards ceremony where me, Laura, Joe and Molly presented them with a certificate and Hope box to congratulate them on an amazing week.
Blog from our youth worker, Sally Littlewood.