Shout out!

The thing is we really have to get better at shouting about all the amazing things we get up to in the course of a week.  The problem is we're so busy doing all the amazing things that quite often we don't have time to tell everyone about them.  I know, I know - we need to make time.

I used to have this idea that there could be a sliding door that I could whizz through and enter a virtual vortex where I could catch up on all the things I needed to do...but that doesn't really seem to be a practical option, unless anyone knows how to do that?  Is there a virtual vortex?  Can we squeeze through it into another world?

So, this week...

Our Arrow group are fresh from a trip to Derry where they worked, in tandem with another group from Active8, Bolton with a youth theatre there, on the business of challenging and working with difference.  This is the first part of an exchange, and the group from Derry will be working with us at half term to create a piece of theatre that challenges stereotypes and enables young people from different cultures to get along.  This only really tells half the story - the whole trip was preceded by a long drawn out process of getting a passport for one of the group.  We were certain, in the end, it wouldn't arrive in time but it did - at 9:00 o'clock on Friday morning necessitating a last minute dash to the airport to get the young person concerned to the airport on time.

Aside from our regular 20 weekly sessions - we are also currently working on a number of other key projects:-

1) Healthy High - this sees us working in partnership with four schools to develop pieces of theatre around health issues that are concern to young people. There are weekly sessions in school(s) to develop the work. They will share this work in an event in March.

2) Cut Short - work is taking place with four youth and community groups in the development of four short films around the prevention of knife crime.  One group have completed, the other three are ongoing  with filming for another group taking place on Saturday.

3) We are working on a weekly project in a local primary school.

4) Different Strokes - a community cohesion project that we are delivering for Curious Minds, and in partnership with Sir John Thursby and Blessed Trinity schools.

5) We are contributing to an enquiry project in a school in deepest darkest Lancashire.

6) We are rehearsing two plays - a newly adapted version of The Selfish Giant - Greek Chorus with 10 year olds! And What if? a devised piece of theatre with our older young people. Both culminate in April.

7) The participant reps are visiting all groups, and beginning to generate interest in two upcoming events - firstly an art project that starts next Monday working with Shahida Ahmed and a double hander theatre trip to the Octagon to see Romeo and Juliet and the youth theatre to see Dodgy Clutch.

8) We are preparing a presentation with 6 young people to take to a Proud of Burnley event.

9) We have an ongoing session in Pendle with a group of young people.

10) We are working with five schools in Burnley and Pendle on the Start project, and beginning to deliver workshops in the run up to the next show they'll be seeing with us "Midsummer Night's dream" by The Faction Theatre Company.

11) A weekly session for young people with disabilities "No Limits"

12) Planning new work for next term around Aspirations, a film for the Samaritans, A Long Stand (a work experience project) and some work with the Mary Burberry Unit at the hospital, and with looked after children in Rossendale.

13) We've just taken part in a mini-youth theatre festival (weekend before last) and some training for our workshop leaders with NAYT.

14) Oh, you know just doing office type stuff. Paper work, and fundraising, and planning our Christmas show (yes) funded, our trip to Edinburgh, our summer school, our summer term shows, and two or three other big projects we're keen to get off the ground. And all the other stuff that's necessary but not as interesting as this...

There are only 3 of us in the core team.  And our part time ops assistant.  And an FJF assistant (who leaves us next week!  We'll so miss him!) So we don't have time to tweet or facebook as much as we'd like to.  We really need to get better at this.  And hopefully we will.  But if we go a bit silent, really just give us a bell or a kick or a punch because I'm certain we'll be doing something of interest that we haven't had time to shout about, or maybe have forgotten to mention.

On that note - I've probably missed loads of important stuff off the list.  You know how it is.