Empowerment Programme for Vulnerable Students

The Josh Hanson Charitable Trust

When

What

Do you have young people in your secondary school / college that are vulnerable or hard to engage? Young people who may be suffering with trauma, or who are simply feeling lost, or on a path to exclusion.

Our successful school-based programme will work intensively with a group of 8 young people (age 13-19) to help put them on a more positive path, and support them to develop their voice and become social change leaders.

Through a carefully crafted 16-week course of art and creative therapy and communication training, we will help to improve these young people's confidence, reduce negative behaviour patterns and support them with opportunities to tell their story and contribute to how youth services in Harrow are designed and developed.

What is the offer:

• Weekly 2-3 hour sessions over 16 weeks in school for a group of 8 young people

• Phased approach - First 6 weeks is intensive art-based sessions led by an experienced session leader, exploring emotional themes through artistic techniques

• Facilitated group discussions and 1:1 opportunities for young people with the session leaders outside of the course time

• Phase 2 - We work with those young people to build confidence through creative activities (poetry / spoken word / public speaking / performance / film developing) and help them to identify and develop a social campaign

• Phase 3 - The programme culminates in an event, where the young people get to share their campaigns with school leaders, and also with Harrow Council leaders and other stakeholders.

What schools need to input

Very little, we know how busy you are!

We will need you to identify 8 young people, provide a classroom sized space, and help support and encourage the young people to attend.

What schools say about working with us

We've been working in Harrow Schools for 5 years delivering crime prevention strategies and trauma arts based therapy. We have delivered successful programmes in Hatch End High School, Nower Hill, Grange Primary, Elmgrove Primary.


Elmgrove Primary, Deputy Head Teacher, Paul Hewitt: "Our pupils gained a tremendous amount from completing the projects with the Josh Hanson Charitable Trust. The sessions were well-run, fully engaged with, and the children thoroughly looked forward to the sessions, with many citing it as their highlight of the week. It allowed for some of our vulnerable pupils to open up and talk in a secure and welcoming space and to express themselves through art and to advance their skills in this area too. The work that the children produced was of a high quality and the resources the children were provided with were of an excellent standard, too."

Louise Browning, Head at Norbury Primary: "Norbury has been blessed working with The Josh Hanson Trust, across two art programmes. The pupils grew emotionally from their weekly session. For one of the students, the change was profound. He was a spikey individual who mumbled rather than spoke and who would fight inside of reason. Every week he shuffled into the room, shoulders hunched and eyes lowered. Every session saw him leave more confident, shoulders relaxed and a glimmer of a grin of pride. He has now opened up to us about problems at home. For him, this has made him see that art can be an outlet and we sincerely hope this is what will keep him safe in the future."

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