In October 2022 we secured a 15k grant from Arts Council England to expand our work into 5 schools across the North East. Poets Rowan McCabe, Donald Jenkins and Tahmina Ali worked with 68 students from Sacred Heart, St Mary’s Catholic School, Burnside College, Mortimer Community College and The Grange Learning Centre, which caters for students with experience of the care system.
Over the course of 7 sessions, young people aged 12-14 wrote, edited and performed their own slam poetry. Final shows took place in out of school settings, including at The Word Library in South Shields and Northern Stage in Newcastle.
Most of these participants didn’t normally engage with poetry. We were delighted to see how enthusiastically they took to the project, and how many of them discovered a new found love for the art form. One student in particular was feeling anxious about performing, as they suffered from a stutter. They went on to read confidently in front of a live audience at Wallsend Library, winning an award for the quality of their work.
Footage from one of the final shows at Northern Stage was uploaded to YouTube.
You can find a selection of some of the written work here.
‘I’ve built my confidence loads, I can speak freely without having to be nervous’
SlamFresh Participant
‘I’ve learned that poetry is for everyone’
SlamFresh Participant
‘This was fantastic. Our students have shown great resilience and determination, taking themselves completely out of their comfort zones with your support and encouragement’
Adele Shield, Deputy Head, The Grange Learning Centre
Spoken Word Workshops 