Speak Up Celebration Day at Curve - Monday 1 July 2024

Thu 26 Sep 2024

On Monday 1st July 2024, Curve buzzed with energy as we welcomed 110 young people and their teachers from our five Speak Up schools – Babington Academy, Sir Jonathan North Community College, Soar Valley College, The City of Leicester College and The Winstanley School – for their Speak Up Celebration.

Led by the National Theatre and delivered by Curve as part of the Theatre Nation Partnerships (TNP) network, Speak Up is a free secondary school programme that sees young people working in collaboration with local artists and teachers to co-create artistic responses to issues that are most important to them. The programme aims to encourage new ways for young people to think, see and bring about change and is generously supported by The Mohn Westlake Foundation, who share our belief in the power of youth voice and working with young people to enable positive change in their lives, schools and local communities.

The morning was marked by a takeover of the rehearsal rooms, where students immersed themselves in workshops consisting of spoken word, beat boxing, stage combat and graffiti art. The afternoon culminated in a celebration of the work produced by the young people alongside their Speak Up Reps over the academic year.

Babington Academy’s drama group shared a work in progress of their short film titled ‘Letters from Babington’, which addressed crucial topics such as mental health, racism, bullying, the environment, the drive for change and boldly addressing parents, teachers, fellow students and the government. The music group shared their reimagined version of ‘If I Ruled the World, (Imagine That)’ exploring themes related to the curriculum, cost of living, and societal improvements with the audience. With a call and response performance led by two students and celebration host Mr Shay, their performance sparked the audience and continued the celebration’s buzz.

Soar Valley College captivated the audience with their short film and original song titled ‘Aftermath’. Collaborating with a script consultant, Jayne Williams from New Perspectives, the students crafted a narrative that delved into the impacts of mental health on young people, and left the audience with a powerful message of hope and resilience.

The Winstanley School’s journey was captured through their innovative take on uniform and its pros and cons. The students collaborated with designer Abby Clarke and their creations were brought to life by maker Divya Patel. These alternative uniforms then featured as part of a Speak Up exhibition on our mezzanine space, accompanying students’ heartfelt poems that reflected on what makes them feel comfortable and the concept of diversity and uniformity.

They City of Leicester College took to the stage to reflect on their Speak Up journey. The group adapted the mural that last year’s group started, collaborating with local artist Rashida Osman Art to bring it to life and into Curve. The mural captured the emotions, journeys and stories of the students highlighting the positives and negatives of being a young person. They also shared a snippet of their rap song and pod-short, which underscored the groups shared values and showcased the group’s unity and sense of community.

A live performance of Stereotype Block Tango by Sir Jonathan North College ended the special celebration, in which the group rewrote the lyrics to Cell Block Tango to challenge stereotypes regarding feminism, sexism, transphobia and bullying.

The Speak Up celebration at Curve was more than just an event, it was proof of the power of young voices and their capacity to inspire change. Through workshops, presentations and performances, students demonstrated their creativity, resilience, and the importance of self-expression. The day not only celebrated their achievements but also highlighted the ongoing need to provide platforms where young people can speak up and be heard.

We are looking forward to what Year 3 of Speak Up has in store and the legacy of Speak Up.

Find out more about Speak Up at Curve here – https://www.curveonline.co.uk/get-involved/speak-up/

Tamika Gore, Creative Programmes Assistant & Speak Up Programmer