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	Education

“	'Thank you for helping us express our minds. I really liked working with you. You've really taught us how to act. I would also like to thank you for supporting us throughout our lessons. This will always be in my childhood in the future. Thank you everyone in the Blue Elephant Theatre.’ Year 4 Pupil from partner primary school			”
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	Our Education Policy
‘	Theatre that teaches and inspires the community’

	Blue Elephant Theatre engages artists from different mediums and cultural backgrounds in arts projects for the local and London-wide communities through:	/	1) Community access The provision of a theatre building for arts projects, subsidised access to its arts programme and facilities for the voluntary sector.
		/	2) Education The improvement of services for teachers through INSET training, voluntary/community/school training work placements/experience, arts activities for children and young people; drama classes in primary schools, after school and summer school clubs and Young People’s Theatre 7-18 years.
		/	3) Artistic The development and production of high quality artistic experiences in: a) main house productions of theatre, dance, comedy, film and music; b) the exhibition of visual arts at the theatre’s gallery space.
	As well as being situated in one of the poorest boroughs in the capital, the Blue Elephant theatre is surrounded by a wealth of cultural diversity. The Education work that the theatre leads on has proved to have been an essential resource for its participants, helping nurture their talent and academic ability as well as offering the opportunity to explore other choices in life. The professional productions develop that notion, not only nurturing new artists from around the world but also providing political, high-quality theatre that reflects the theatre’s passion for community in the broader sense.


	The Blue Elephant Theatre strongly believes that the arts can be a valuable tool for reconnecting young people with mainstream education, acting as a catalyst for the re-engagement of young people by:	/	Addressing key social problems affecting young people at risk of or experiencing exclusion
		/	Changing group dynamics rooted in aggression and division into a supportive atmosphere
		/	Motivating young people
		/	Allowing participants to explore personal issues through arts based activities
		/	Giving young people a sense of pride and achievement in demonstrating newly acquired skills


	EDUCATIONAL PROJECTS
!!	GET INVOLVED!!
	Blue Elephant Young People's Theatre
	Our Young People’s Theatre aims to provide FREE workshops to young people who would not normally be able to access such services for social, economic or other reasons. We are targeting young people from refugee, asylum and migrant communities as well as children in care, young carers and young people at the risk of offending.

		/	Group A & Group B Group A: 7—10 years old [Saturdays 10am—12pm] Group B: 11—14 years old [Saturdays 1pm—3pm] Up to 20 young people in groups A & B meet Saturdays during term time to develop social, drama and performance skills and work with professional artists and practitioners from both the education and arts industries.

		/	Group C (Blue Elephant Young Company) 15+ years old [Saturdays 4pm—6pm] Up to 20 young people in Group C meet Saturdays to continue developing social, drama and performance skills work together to create their own devised work to be performed as part of the season at the Blue Elephant and at various events/locations around the community.

		♦	To apply or to find out further information, please contact the Young People's Theatre Co-ordinator Andrew Morton Tel: 020 7701 0100 click here to send an E-mail

	Creative Minds - Phase 3
	'Creative Minds' is funded by Southwark Children's Fund and is an ongoing project involving children from two Southwark primary schools. This work comes under the ‘Every Child Matters’ strategy: ‘Enjoy & Achieve’.
			We provide long-term intervention that aims to enhance and enrich the academic attainment and social well-being of the participants. Aged between 9 -11, 90% of the children come from black and ethnic minorities. The project aims to contribute towards the provision of preventative services for up to 200 children and young people who are at risk of social exclusion, enabling them to overcome social, physical and economic disadvantages through:The provision of three years of creative drama-based workshops, INSET teacher and Youth worker training and access to arts events for two partner primary schools in Southwark.

	'Creative Minds - Phase 3' incorporates the following activities:
>	In school Workshops

			The Blue Elephant Theatre works with three classes from each primary school for 30 weeks over the school year delivering drama workshops linked to a selected area of the curriculum. In the final terms all participating classes take part in a performance at the Blue Elephant Theatre. The schools also benefit from free visits to the theatre and free INSET training.

			Partner Schools:
			*/Keyworth Primary School**** Faunce Street, London, SE17 /St Paul's Church of England Primary School* Penrose Street, London, SE17

		“	‘Our pupils have grown in self-confidence and self-esteem, they are learning to present themselves effectively and every child is involved, many of whom have special educational needs and/or English as an additional language...' Ms A Low [Deputy Head, Oliver Goldsmith Primary School]	”

>	After School Clubs
	Working with schools to provide further support out of school hours; the Blue Elephant Theatre work with children from years 3 to 6 to develop drama, script-writing and performance skills as well as imagination, teamwork and self-esteem. At the end of the school year each group has an opportunity to perform their work at the Blue Elephant theatre.

!!	GET INVOLVED!!
>	Transitions
	A theatre project for young people about to start secondary school

	Summer 2008 July 28th — August 8th Age 10-11 years: 20 places Mentors, Age 12-16: 6 places	/	A project for young people moving from year 6 to year 7. Two groups of young people work with a team of theatre facilitators to create their own performances around the theme of 'Transition'. They are supported by a team of mentors from secondary schools around the borough. The mentors are trained in a range of drama workshop leading and support skills.

		“	“It was a great opportunity to see Blue Elephant drama work in action and I was very impressed by the range of group work methods being utilised and the way that issues about moving from primary to secondary school were being gradually introduced. I was very impressed at how the young people were encouraged to voice their experiences and issues and although it was only their second day it was very evident that a very trusting and supportive environment was being built up by the staff team.” Helen Naylor, Southwark Children’s Fund	”

		♦	To apply or to find out further information, please contact the Education Officer Rebecca Tortora Tel: 020 7701 0100 click here to send an E-mail

		*	This project is funded by Southwark Children's Fund.

	Book a workshop?
	The Blue Elephant Theatre currently offers workshops to schools and other organisations in the following art-forms: drama, scriptwriting, creative writing, storytelling, comedy, directing and devising. We will tailor make the project to your specific requirements. Fees: Negotiable. Call us on 020 7701 0100, or click here to send us an E-mail.

	Some Past Projects


	Creative Minds - Phase 1	/	Eight classes from two local primary schools (Oliver Goldsmith and St Paul’s) took part in weekly drama workshops, visited the theatre once a term for a performance or workshop and performed in a professional theatre venue. This project aimed to develop teacher’s drama skills, improve speaking and listening and increase self-esteem amongst pupils. Creative Minds Phase 1 school programme ran from February 2002-March 2004 funded by Southwark Children’s Fund.
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	‘ACTING UP’ - out of school theatre workshops	/	Pupils at Alfred Salter Primary School took part in a year of after school clubs, including: Drama and Scriptwriting (Years 5 & 6), Storytelling and improvisation (Years 3 & 4) and Music and Drama (Years 1 & 2) with professional artists and practitioners, their work was showcased in July 2004. The Nursery and Reception classes and staff took part in a series of workshops with ‘Make Believe Arts’ from May 2004. Acting Up’ ran from September 2003 to July 2004 funded by the New Opportunities Fund and Alfred Salter School.

	IGNITE	/	The Blue Elephant Theatre's Visual Arts Education Programme enabling young people to work with professional artists and for volunteers to acquire new skills, training and practical experience. Ignite involved over 200 young people in workshops in a range of visual arts including: puppetry, animation, textiles, sculpture and photography. At least 40 local artists and volunteers received training and practical experience in workshop leading skills, many of whom now work as freelancers on other arts education projects. IGNITE ran from February 2003 - July 2004, funded by the Local Network Fund, SELF and Neighbourhood Renewal.


	If you require additional information about the Education Programme, please contact the education team on
			Tel: 020 7701 0100 E-mail: info@blueelephanttheatre.co.uk