Holly Lodge Girls College
Finding the Balance
Jade, an ordinary, hardworking teenager, struggles to do well on a test. Her teachers are giving her a hard time and she just can’t seem to switch off from revising; leading her to suffer with negative mental health.
Can Jade ever find a way of balancing her life to please everyone around her, as well as, more importantly, overcome her stress and anxiety about education?
GYRO YPAS
Teach the Teachers: A Manifesto for Change
The LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning) young people of GYRO present “Teach the Teachers: A Manifesto for Change”. The manifesto highlights how LGBTQ+ young people believe that some schools may be in breach of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This is based upon their experience of not feeling safe and supported in school, in order to access their universal right to an education. This piece presents their manifesto in dramatic form, alongside the ‘Teach the Teachers’ song, which conveys their message on the importance of feeling safe and supported within school in order for LGBTQ+ young people to thrive.
De La Salle School
Uncensored Perspectives
Have you ever felt lost?
Is finding the light in a situation sometimes a struggle?
Does the sun only exist when you see it?
James doesn’t think he fits in; he is alone, he is afraid – just because you can’t see he is hurting doesn’t mean he isn’t. Uncensored Perspectives explores the inner workings of the mind, exposing the complex world that inhabits below the surface.
West Derby Group 3
It is a strength to show weakness
A piece that looks at how society has created a negative stigma attached to those who have weak moments. Fighting through it, getting over it or simply having to say ‘I’m fine’ does not help your mental health. The piece looks at how boys and men alike feel the need to be strong, but admitting you are struggling is one of the strongest things you can do.
Archbishop Blanch
My Teacher Said I was so I am
Year 10 Performing Arts students from Archbishop Blanch consider how teachers’ thoughts and perceptions of young people can affect their life, not only throughout their education, but also once they’ve left school. ‘My Teacher said I was, so I am’ explores how easily students can be labelled by the education system and how this can subsequently limit and impact them. The piece also reflects the possible consequences of this issue on young people’s mental health and ultimately questions how often students simply become what others say or think they are.
St Hildas CofE
Just Smile
‘Just Smile’ takes you on a journey of an individual’s experience being in school and struggling with panic attacks. In a society where stigma consumes us all, it is much easier to tell the world, and yourself, ‘I’m OK, I’m Fine, Just Smile’.
Yasmin is a peer mentor for mental health, and is passionate about raising awareness and supporting her peers. Join Yasmin’s story and hear about her journey through school and what would have made her feel much more supported.
Wirral Academy of Performing Arts
Shelter in the Storm
We all can feel like there’s a storm building; more pressure, stress and lack of control can affect every aspect of our lives… As if we’re under a big black cloud and battling torrential rain.
It doesn’t have to be permanent; there are always ways to find our own shelter through even the roughest storm. School can be the very beginning of such a storm, and the perfect opportunity for us to ask for help in creating and maintaining our own shelters, which we can take with us into adulthood. WAPA is delighted to have been chosen to take part in this year’s festival and to be representing young people across the Wirral for the 1st time this year.