LEADA deliver bespoke Drama projects to schools. Our latest project was funded by OPCC to support Cambridgeshire Constabulary’s County Lines initiative.
You will be aware that children are being recruited by Criminal gangs to deliver packages containing drugs and money. You may think this sort of thing is only happening in the big cities. But this is happening in Fenland and our children are being targeted. “County Lines” refers to the distribution of Drugs in small towns and rural villages that have a bus or train station. Cambs Constabulary produced a video to show to teenagers warning them about the danger of criminals recruiting them. The video is excellent and quite frankly scary… it shocks parents. But teenagers think it’s OK.
Teenagers are brilliant, curious, adventurous, independent and streetwise. At the same time, most teenagers are struggling to make sense of relationships with their friends, family, adults in authority and strangers. They know who to get advice from but many won’t listen to adults. They rely on their friends and those who pretend to be their friends.
And that is the problem. Many young people don’t know how to tell if a friendship is safe or toxic.
The video tackles this in relation to County Lines.
LEADA tackles this in terms of the young people’s understanding of relationships. Working with them in schools using role play, they discover that people aren’t always what they seem to be. They know that trust is complicated.
Tutors don’t volunteer their opinions or offer solutions. They enable the young people to learn from each other and analyse motives. After the workshop, there is a significant shift in their understanding of what makes a safe or toxic friendship, how to recognise that something isn’t right and what to do about it.
As they achieve this without being told by adults what to do, they are more open-minded to watch the video presented by Cambs Constabulary and recognise the warning signs. They are better prepared and more resilient.
LEADA finished the project in the Summer term but for a limited time, LEADA are offering this free project to year six in Primary schools in Fenland. Has your school taken up this offer?
