Theatre brings hope to SA's young people in detention
30 Sept 2017
"Theatre is an incredibly powerful tool...It encourages us to step out of our usual attitudes and behaviours and into the shoes and minds of someone else."
Nikki Allen
One Hit Road artwork produced by the students for the live performance.
New Adelaide-based not-for-profit, Fearless Theatre has just completed a ground-braking program called Acting Fearless with ten of SA's most vulnerable and marginalised young people in detention.
In collaboration with the Adelaide Youth Training Centre (AYTC), supported by the South Australian Department for Communities and Social Inclusion, the five week pilot program uses theatre to build self-awareness, empathy and positive decision-making to reduce the risk of violence and reoffending of incarcerated young people.
"Theatre is an incredibly powerful tool” says Fearless Theatre facilitator Nikki Allen. “It encourages us to step out of our usual attitudes and behaviours and into the shoes and minds of someone else.”
Through a series of acting, improvisation and story-telling workshops, the Acting Fearless program explores issues of alcohol and drug-related violence and techniques for positive communication, resisting peer pressure and avoiding physical conflict.
The program culminated in a final performance piece, called One Hit Road, developed and performed entirely by the students. The piece was inspired by a powerful presentation on the impact of violence by the Sammy D Foundation and was created by the students as a tribute to Sam Davis, the victim of a one-punch incident in 2008.
Matthew McCurry, Acting Deputy Principal at the Youth Education Centre has seen the benefits already. “The boys are showing a new sense of pride and excitement. They have really taken on the message about making positive choices and the impact that choices can have. They are sharing this with their peers and continuing to discuss the tragic situation of Sam Davis, with the performance threading those messages through images, rap and dialogue.”
The ten boys who volunteered for the program, most of whom are Aboriginal, have come from very challenging personal backgrounds. “Many of the boys in the AYTC have faced extreme experiences from early childhood that most of us would never dream of”, says Fearless Theatre Managing Director, Victoria Bannon. “Their families have been in tough situations, often involving violence, substance abuse, mental health issues and negative peer influences. They struggle to stay in school and their life choices have often been very limited.”
But Bannon says there is still much to be hopeful about. “They are young and energetic. They have hopes and dreams like everyone else. With the right support, there is an opportunity to break the cycle so they can live positive futures. We hope that our program can be an important step along that path.”
Fearless Theatre also acknowledges their work still has a long way to go. As a pilot program, it was an opportunity to test the methodology and approach. To help with this task, they have engaged anthropologist Michael Allen to document the program and its impact. Says Bannon, “We want to be fully accountable and have hard facts on how our programs benefit not only the participants but also our community as a whole.”
The lessons learned will be used to adapt and scale up their programs to reach other vulnerable groups, with a particular focus on people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds who experience the negative impacts of prejudice and stereotyping. In this way, Fearless Theatre hopes to demonstrate how engagement in the arts, and theatre in particular, can bring positive and lasting changes to our community.
In collaboration with the Adelaide Youth Training Centre (AYTC), supported by the South Australian Department for Communities and Social Inclusion, the five week pilot program uses theatre to build self-awareness, empathy and positive decision-making to reduce the risk of violence and reoffending of incarcerated young people.
"Theatre is an incredibly powerful tool” says Fearless Theatre facilitator Nikki Allen. “It encourages us to step out of our usual attitudes and behaviours and into the shoes and minds of someone else.”
Through a series of acting, improvisation and story-telling workshops, the Acting Fearless program explores issues of alcohol and drug-related violence and techniques for positive communication, resisting peer pressure and avoiding physical conflict.
The program culminated in a final performance piece, called One Hit Road, developed and performed entirely by the students. The piece was inspired by a powerful presentation on the impact of violence by the Sammy D Foundation and was created by the students as a tribute to Sam Davis, the victim of a one-punch incident in 2008.
Matthew McCurry, Acting Deputy Principal at the Youth Education Centre has seen the benefits already. “The boys are showing a new sense of pride and excitement. They have really taken on the message about making positive choices and the impact that choices can have. They are sharing this with their peers and continuing to discuss the tragic situation of Sam Davis, with the performance threading those messages through images, rap and dialogue.”
The ten boys who volunteered for the program, most of whom are Aboriginal, have come from very challenging personal backgrounds. “Many of the boys in the AYTC have faced extreme experiences from early childhood that most of us would never dream of”, says Fearless Theatre Managing Director, Victoria Bannon. “Their families have been in tough situations, often involving violence, substance abuse, mental health issues and negative peer influences. They struggle to stay in school and their life choices have often been very limited.”
But Bannon says there is still much to be hopeful about. “They are young and energetic. They have hopes and dreams like everyone else. With the right support, there is an opportunity to break the cycle so they can live positive futures. We hope that our program can be an important step along that path.”
Fearless Theatre also acknowledges their work still has a long way to go. As a pilot program, it was an opportunity to test the methodology and approach. To help with this task, they have engaged anthropologist Michael Allen to document the program and its impact. Says Bannon, “We want to be fully accountable and have hard facts on how our programs benefit not only the participants but also our community as a whole.”
The lessons learned will be used to adapt and scale up their programs to reach other vulnerable groups, with a particular focus on people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds who experience the negative impacts of prejudice and stereotyping. In this way, Fearless Theatre hopes to demonstrate how engagement in the arts, and theatre in particular, can bring positive and lasting changes to our community.