News from our Youth Arts Programme.

Photo: News from our Youth Arts Programme.

DIY’s Youth Drama group has succeeded in securing funding and Young Leaders have shared their views on inclusion with city leaders.

 

It’s a big thumbs up from Youth Drama members!

We are so excited to be able to develop and use new skills in our performance!

Youth Drama members are very proud that their application to the Salford Youth Wellbeing fund has been successful!

The Youth Wellbeing Fund supports projects that are inspired and co-designed by young people in Salford. It is funded by NHS Salford CCG with support from Salford CVS.

As part of the application process Youth Drama members created a film about what they have been doing and what they want to do in the future.

We’re learning new techniques which will make the new performance extra impressive!

photo from a Youth Drama Session where they are exploring lighting techniques. The room is dark, but we can see Ben holding a light stencil.

Last term we explored technical aspects of theatre including lighting and sound. Members wanted to apply these skills to the creation of a performance based on the idea of toys going on a journey to different environments.

This term the young people have been working with our Youth Arts Co-ordinator Molly and Emerging Artist Phil to explore theatre techniques, lighting, sound design and music. The group will decide how to best use their new skills to enhance a devised performance which they are calling “Life of My Favourite Toy”. The young people will construct the drama, have control over how lighting and sound will be used within the performance and will record their own sound effects using a sound desk and a variety of props. Youth Drama members are also working with our Associate Musician Sarah Atter. Together they are creating song lyrics which will be part of the performance. The music sessions are a space to explore musical instruments and how the group might use them to create sound effects.

The project will culminate in a public performance at Langworthy Cornerstone on Tuesday 6th July.

Our thanks to the following for their funding of this project:
NHS Salford CCG with support from Salford CVS.
Lancastrians in London.


 

DIY Young Leaders get their voices heard on the theme of Inclusive Communication!

This term our Young Leaders prepared for a presentation at Salford CVS’s Seldom Heard Event. This was held at Eccles College on Thursday 26th May.

photo of a Young Leaders session where they are sitting and discussing animatedly; Scott and Georgia are both waving their hands around whilst the rest of the group looks on attentively.

The purpose of the Seldom Heard event was to enable young people, who feel they do not have a voice in the city and little means of accessing the main city leaders, to meet with and discuss with them, what their issues are and for leaders within the city to make pledges to address them. Salford CVS worked in partnership with Salford Youth Council to run and organise the event and help represent young peoples’ views and ideas.

DIY Young Leaders chose to highlight the issue of Inclusive Communication.

The theme for this year’s event was Poverty and Inclusion and DIY’s Young Leaders were one of several groups from across the city presenting ideas and issues of importance to them.

The group chose to focus on the theme of inclusive communication. It is sadly an area in which members have negative lived experienced of. At DIY, Young Leaders are supported to consider others communication needs, to ensure their sessions and work is always as inclusive as possible.

DIY Young Leaders worked with our Youth Arts Facilitator Molly and Emerging Artist Sophie, to create a short performance based on their ideas and issues. They also worked with Sarah Atter to write a song especially for the Seldom Heard Event.

Young Leaders song about Inclusive Communication:

Open up, don’t shut us out
The excluded have had enough
Give us Space, Give us Time
Include, Communicate.

Access for people
Salford is for All
The time to change is now
This is your action call!

Photo of DIY Young Leaders at the Seldom Heard Event - they are shouting!

Our Young Leaders really enjoyed taking part in this brilliant event – we even met the Mayor of Salford. We can’t wait to see what changes the city leaders put in place after hearing all the brilliant ideas!

To find out more about DIY’s Young Leaders visit our Gamechangers Emerging Leaders webpage or email our Youth Arts Facilitator molly.stedman@diytheatre.org.uk


Our thanks to Youth Music who have enabled us to provide shadowing and training opportunities for emerging musicians through our Youth Arts Programme, as part of our Four by Eight programme.

Youth Music logo


Passing the Baton was DIY’s dedicated youth arts programme that worked with children and young people with learning disabilities  from 2019-22. It was funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.

Click to see the report:

Cover image of the Evaluation of DIY's Passing the Baton Programme