The Bounce Drama Project aims to boost children’s knowledge around mental wellbeing using drama and the arts focusing on the Units: All About Me, Emotions and Happy Healthy Habits. The syllabus fits in with the PSHCE curriculum. The Bounce Drama Project is a blended live and digital project for lower Key Stage 2. The sessions will build children’s vocabulary around wellbeing and ability to express themselves, confidence, self-esteem, resilience and problem-solving skills. Through the programme we give children opportunities to build a toolbox of skills which will support their wellbeing. This project is funded by The Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
Our project Children of the Windrush Generation, produced recorded testimonies of British Caribbeans who arrived in the UK as part of the Windrush Generation. The project gives students an insight into the effects of migration on participants. We delivered arts-based workshops on the Windrush generation in schools and we also created an education pack which was distributed to every primary school in Brent. This project was funded by the Windrush Day Fund and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
Fresh Arts C.I.C will be running a youth theatre for young people aged 8-14 from Brent who are descendants of the Windrush Generation or connected to them. Young people will work with artists to explore Caribbean literature and the work of Caribbean artists. This project is funded by The Windrush Day Fund and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
Fresh Arts C.I.C are producing a digital schools festival called the Windrush Children’s Festival 2022. Schools across London and the South East watched the testimonials of people who arrived in the UK as children during the Windrush Generation. They used these videos and a creative education pack as a stimulus to produce an entry of drama, music or poetry which will be shared online on Windrush Day 2022. This project is funded by the Windrush Day Fund and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
Fresh Arts delivered a project for parents from a school in Brent who wanted to improve their spoken English. We ran a weekly parents drama group exploring traditional stories from their cultures. Participants reported that they made new friends, felt happier and less stressed and a reduced sense of isolation. They also reported that they felt more confident speaking English. We were pleased to say that participants scored significantly higher in exit English assessments.
Following the devastating tragedy at Grenfell Tower we responded by creating the Grenfell Arts Project. We worked with 40 primary school children who had been directly affected by the Grenfell Tower fire. We worked in partnership with Colville Primary School and major arts organisations like the Old Vic Theatre and The Globe Theatre. The project provided access to creative activities in a safe, child centred space. Each week we did art, drama and music and children worked with professional artists. Participants took part in theatre trips and participated in a LAMDA exam. Following our evaluation parents reported that their children were happier and more confident. This project was funded by The Paul Hamlyn Foundation.
Fresh Arts is delivering a project in a school in Brent for children who have English as an additional language. The children participate in fun drama activities and explore and learn poetry. This project helps the participants to reduce feelings of isolation and grow in confidence with spoken English.