Cardboard Citizens, a professional theatre company which works with the homeless, sought to engage with hard to reach young people in Camden.
Duration
Status
Videos (Youtube/Vimeo)
Background
Cardboard Citizens worked with young people in Camden who were homeless, or at risk of being homeless, as well as not being in employment, education or training (NEET). The 6-week forum theatre project was based on a philosophy of support and engagement to encourage the development of skills and self-confidence.
Aim
The aim was to engage through acting and by teaching performing arts skills. This included encouraging participants to create a short play about some of their own life experiences.
Process
The young people produced a forum theatre piece about their life circumstances which was performed.
Results
The team of 40 performed their show ‘Act on It’ at three venues including the Roundhouse and at a homeless drop-in centre.
All the youth involved have learned drama and theatre production skills as well as other general social skills related to employability including, team-work skills, respecting others and the ability to manage time effectively. The resulting piece of dramaturgy was an exciting meditation of the lives of the participants and their peers in similar positions on the fringes of society.
More information
This article was originally submitted by Cardboard Citizens but has since been adapted.
Cardboard Citizens 26 Hanbury Street London E1 6QR UK . tel 020 7247 7747 fax 020 7650 0002 . email mail@cardboardcitizens.org.uk.
In the media: "On stage... the dramas that teenagers face" by Charlotte Chambers, Camden News Journal.
Contact
Linked articles
Categories
Country
United Kingdom
Purpose
Build skills and capacity of participants
Generate new ideas (innovation)
Co-producing services
Resources
£10,000-£49,999
Number of participants
100-500 people
Participant selection
Self selected participants attending as individuals (open access process)
Level of awareness and interest
participants need information and cannot articulate their interests
participants know about some aspects/can roughly articulate some interest
participants are well informed and can articulate their interests
Policy area
Community initiatives
Health and well-being
Housing and Planning
Political Level
local
Limit search to...
... face to face processes
Project status
finished
Level of involvement
Collaborate
Empower
Special groups
Children and young people