Kensington Community School: New Stories, Better Lives

This is a performing arts and literacy project for young people ‘at risk’ in a state run secondary school for students who have ‘failed’ in the mainstream system. It will engage students in a twenty-week program exploring stories based on their own lives. Their stories will explore issues the young people are facing and find positive outcomes and solutions that will be enacted by the students helping them develop understanding and coping strategies. The project will develop literacy through a script-writing strand of the project as well as developing self-esteem, resilience, persistence, communication skills and teamwork. The project will culminate in a community performance celebrating the students’ achievement. The project aims to develop young people’s sense of agency and capacity to take control of their own lives, while fostering a peer support network amongst them. Older youths will be developed as peer leaders to help engage and support the younger participants. This project is part of an on-going commitment by Western Edge to these young people and is based on extensive academic research into similar work for ‘at risk’ youth.