Engaging and Exciting Literacy Enhancment Programme at Sherman Cymru

Fresh INK

A Sherman Cymru Outreach Programme

Friday 11^th October 2013

As part of its extensive outreach programme Sherman Cymru have established a new and exciting project called Fresh INK. The literacy enhancement programme is for primary and secondary school pupils and aims to ignite a passion for creative writing and the spoken word both in English and in Welsh. 

Participating schools and groups take part in an engaging six week programme that teaches creative writing skills with the goal of creating a ten minute script for theatre. The project is in its infancy but has already been highly successful and this week some of those scripts were presented in front of family and friends at script-in-hand performances by professional actors. 

I was fortunate enough to attend the second evening of readings and was completely blown away by the high standard of work. The young writers from SOBIS (School of Basic Islamic Studies) took part in workshops led by Angharad Lee and Morgan Thomas each week to develop their confidence and creativity. When I spoke to one of the young writers she said it was refreshing to be encouraged to write in her own voice and not over think things as she felt she produced a more entertaining script that she could be truly proud of.

This idea of the individual voice was really strong as each piece was completely different from the last. One had an almost Beckett-esque surreal feeling (despite the fact the group have probably never even heard of Waiting for Godot) enhanced by circuitous dialogue as a young man met an older version of himself from the past. Others were satires of their everyday teenage life – complete with an appearance from One Direction. Some took on more serious subject matters like the conflict in Syria or the everyday struggle of being a mother with surprising insight and clarity. 

Essentially these young writers wrote about topics that were important to them; their friend’s birthday party, stalking their favourite band and how to understand a world full of conflict and confusion. No adult would be able to capture the true dialogue of teenage girls arguing about special birthday outfits or the fear of being caught in an armed conflict. These are the best people to talk on behalf of young people and perhaps more should be done to include their voices in productions made for their age group.

Many of the group members had never set foot in a theatre before and certainly would never have thought of becoming writers. This project is all about unlocking the creativity within these young minds and encouraging them to engage with the arts. There is some serious potential in this group and hopefully the writers will be able to continue to explore the ideas they have developed and who knows where their writing could be performed one day. 

Each and every participant should be proud of the work they created; all were original and really well crafted. There were plenty of laughs but there was also some really touching moments that shone through and made a real impact. Sherman Cymru should be applauded for their dedication to nurturing young potential and giving these students the chance to have their work performed in a professional theatre by professional actors – something not many people can say about their work, especially writers under the age of 20.

A great initiative that I’m sure will continue to grow and reach more and more potential young writers. Fresh INK is an engaging and exciting project that is the perfect example of how to run successful and beneficial outreach programmes. 

If you are interested in getting your school or group involved with the Fresh INK initiative please contact Angharad Lee at Sherman Cymru (029 2064 6980).