Interchange
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As part of Worcester Cathedral's vision to be a catalyst for campaigning and raising awareness on issues of social justice, Worcester Cathedral Learning Team in partnership with The Clewer Initiative, Worcester Community Rail Partnership, Platform and Diocese of Worcester Mothers Union are developing a series of County Lines initiatives targeted at young people. The project is called, Interchange. Interchange will use the arts as the main tool to engage with young people and challenge them to identify ways to disrupt the County Lines chain. One of the projects of Interchange is the commissioning of a short 5-minute film centred in and around Worcester. West Midlands based film maker, Nicola Prestage (Tiger Features) will be working over the next couple of months to write and create the film, shooting in locations across the county. The purpose of the film will be to raise awareness of the dangers and to highlight the signs. It will also provide suggestions on how the community could respond if they suspect someone is caught up in County Lines. The film will demonstrate that there isn’t a certain type of young person who may be exploited by criminal gangs, and that all young people are susceptible and could be coerced with false promises and gifts. The film will also be a call to action, asking people not to sit back but to try to stand up and do something. Alongside the film a series of workshops and teaching resources will be developed that can be used both in classrooms and in less formal settings when working with young people. The Interchange project is also working with a theatre specialist Richard Compton, who will create, with a small group of sixth form drama students from Kings School, Worcester a piece of Forum Theatre based on real life case studies. Forum theatre provides audiences with the opportunity to step in and try to change the course of action of the play, by offering alternatives and solutions to the issues raised. Both the film, the workshops and forum theatre will be premiered as part of a Schools Day at Worcester Cathedral on Wednesday 29th March, where we hope to welcome over 200 young people from secondary schools across the diocese to participate. |
