Drama is soo good for the young

At Half Moon we believe in the power of drama and the impact it has on the lives of young people. We witness it daily. This is why we offer activities for young people to get involved in from birth to 18, and 25 for those with disabilities.

We currently have over 350 young people engaging in our creative activities, but we want more young people to get involved!

All of our groups offer young people the chance to play, learn drama techniques, explore topics which are interesting or challenging to them, make friends, build confidence and prepare for the next stage of their lives. Creativity is vital for their ability to express their thoughts, feelings and own interpretation of the world and we foster this skill across all our projects.

In our eight Youth Theatre groups the young people choose a topic, theme or skill to explore each term and work towards creating a final performance for their family and friends. They have full creative control over the words, movement, props and set, fostering imagination and thinking outside of the box.

One mum told us her son is now “able to be more creative, imaginative and expressive” and that “Youth Theatre gives him an opportunity to make new friends.”

Research shows that 1 in 3 children are struggling with their confidence. Our free, weekly After School Clubs, in community settings across Tower Hamlets, offer secondary school children a safe and supportive environment to interact with others, develop friendships, build confidence and learn skills, such as public speaking, through fun and structured games and activities.

Last term only 44% of young people felt confident, but after taking part in the sessions 90% of them felt confident. These are skills which last a lifetime.

A core principle of Half Moon is inclusivity. Everyone who wants to engage in drama should be able to, so we encourage communication with parents and carers about their child so we can ensure they are supported in the group they attend. We employ access workers who support either one child or a small group of young people who need some extra help in the sessions. We also have a specialist group for teenagers with disabilities, which is a smaller group with more access workers.

To join one of our groups visit halfmoon.org.uk/youth-theatre or email youth@halfmoon.org.uk

Lydia Hallam is the Creative Learning Administrator at Half Moon