Remote Youth Theatre: Connect, Create, Express

Aim

Helping young people in Lewisham connect, learn new skills and creatively express their experience of the Covid-19 lockdown

Transforming Lives Through Theatre

Help us invest in the futures of Lewisham young people during the Covid-19 lockdown with free activities that build skills, resilience and ambition.

"“During lockdown, the regular sessions have been central to her feeling secured [when] the world was collapsing around her." - Parent of performer, age 10

“Lewisham Youth Theatre means the world to me and my son. LYT is his lifeline. He suffers from anxiety and self-doubt. I really worry what he will lose if he loses LYT.”  - Parent of vulnerable Youth Theatre participant

We desperately need your help to continue to offer FREE participatory creative activities online with isolated young people during the Covid-19 lockdown.  

What is Lewisham Youth Theatre?

Lewisham Youth Theatre (LYT) is a registered charity (297075). We use inclusive drama, performance and backstage theatre activities to improve the well-being and life chances of young people aged 8-24 from Lewisham, South East London. All our projects are FREE and participation is based on commitment - we don't audition. The majority of the children who come to LYT face barriers to positive life chances - many live in poverty, have mental health needs or learning difficulties, are in the care system or are young carers themselves. 

LYT's projects give these young people a chance to increase their confidence, find their voice and build positive relationships with their peers. They get to learn what it means to keep going when it gets tough as their performances near, and to be leaders in their groups and with younger members. They get to see different career pathways into the creative industries - both onstage and off - and to be inspired to choose a path that will make a difference to the world around them.

As Dean says in the video above, "Lewisham Youth Theatre provides not just opportunities, but a safe haven as well. For people to come, to feel safe, to have fun, to express themsevles and to learn skills...If we keep saying they're the future, we need to invest in our future."

See More About the Difference LYT Makes:

Read these CASE STUDIES of young people who have benefited from LYT's work.

Read our BIG IMPACT REPORT - an independent evaluation into the impact of our work.

Why is Remote Youth Theatre needed?

“LYT really helped me to feel motivated and connected with people during lockdown. It has helped me express my feelings better. I have found out who I am. Thank you for keeping the play going through lockdown. Thank you for looking out for people.”
- Performer, age 10

At the time of the Covid-19 lockdown, 100 children and young people aged 8-24 were coming to LYT each week for free activities, and many more had signed up for projects to start in April. We knew the abrupt isolation of the lockdown was having a dire effect on their mental health. They told us they were anxious about friendships and family members, about what the lockdown would mean for their schooling, job prospects and future life chances. We had to act quickly.

What have we done about this problem?

Within 2 weeks of the Covid-19 lockdown, LYT had begun delivering all of our projects online, continuing to provide our participants with a sense of structure, purpose and connection to their peers and trusted adults.

We have simple goals:

Move our activities online, giving young people opportunities to:

• Connect and reduce the effects of social isolation, particularly for our most vulnerable users

• Deepen their creative skills and knowledge of career pathways in the creative industries

• Creatively express their experience of the current moment, helping to build resilience by giving them a voice and an outlet.

Within 3 weeks of lockdown, our Junior Acting Company aged 12-14 had premiered a digital performance - 'Playing My Part' - using a mixture of filmed and live presentation. You can watch it on our Facebook Page here.

You can also watch the Instagram story created by our Young Touring Company about their play 'Live It Down' here.

And this 'behind-the-scenes' look at the filming of our 8-11s project on Zoom:

Now...

The Juniors 8-11s will continue to come together to play games and connect
The Technical Theatre Group, aged 12-14 are learning backstage theatre skills from home;
The Seniors 14-21s are writing their own plays and spoken word pieces inspired by their experiences of lockdown and the Black Lives Matters protests;
The Young Company 16-24s are working with a professional playwright to develop their own scripts
The Young Producers are planning an online Q&A with successful creative professionals to highlight career pathways.

See all of our Remote Youth Theatre programmes on our website: lewishamyouththeatre.com/remote

"This has kept [her] really focused and a great outlet during these troubled times.” Carer of performer

Why We Need Your Help

Our most disadvantaged users are facing more barriers to participating - lack of technology, anxiety about online interactions and more need for 1-to-1 support. At the same time, transforming our services for the Covid-19 period, re-designing our working methods and making sure our participants can take part safely is stretching our staff capacity and our finances. 

We need your help to make sure our most vulnerable participants can access and benefit from these online activities.

Here's what running Remote Youth Theatre costs us: 

£10 provides 1-to-1 phone contact with a child and their parent/carer outside the participatory sessions to support them to access positive activities.

£25 provides a pack of technical theatre materials delivered to the child's home, so they can learn about lighting, costumes, set and sound design through practical and creative activities.

£50 provides an extra staff member to provide pastoral care during an online session, making sure that participants are able to log on, engage positively and feel safe.

£100 provides a session with a professional playwright to support the Senior Youth Theatre to express their own experiences of lockdown through narrative playwriting.

£250 provides a basic laptop that disadvantaged participants who otherwise wouldn't be able to access online activities can borrow for the length of their project.

We are seeking to raise £2,000 towards these costs so we can continue to offer high quality creative activities that help young people connect, learn and express.

This project successfully funded on 23rd July 2020