Who is this project for?

This project is for any young person aged 13-18 who self identifies as being disabled- this means you do not need to have a formal diagnosis from a doctor or psychologist. This includes people who are D/deaf, disabled, Neurodivergent and/or learning-disabled.

Youth Arts Online is for young disabled people who may face barriers to taking part in in-person creative activities due to: their condition (maybe because in-person activities are over-stimulating for them, or because they often feel singled out for being disabled etc.), AND/OR because of geography (e.g. they live in a rural area with no accessible creative activities, public transport is unreliable or inaccessible and they have no private vehicle etc.).

What will we do in the workshops?

All the workshops will be very relaxed- this is not a formal ‘art class’ and it’s not like school. Workshops will include games and you are welcome to take part however is best for you.

The workshops haven’t been planned yet, because we want to find out what kind of stuff you like and what you might like to do in the workshops!

In the sign-up form you will be asked about what you like, what kinds of creative stuff you like doing (like- making things, acting out stories, creating characters in your imagination etc.) and also if there are any creative things you would like to explore (like making puppets or designing costumes etc.).

To give you some ideas, this is what the group did last time…

Who will be leading the workshops?

My name is Ink and my pronouns are they/them. 

I am an arts worker based in Edinburgh. 

I collaborate with children and adults to build creative spaces and share stories through processes informed by climate justice, anti ableism, queerness, and mischief.

Jenny (she/her).

I have worked in Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders as a drama practitioner since 2017. Through this work I help young people to develop their confidence and perfect their drama skills whilst having fun and making new friends. I also run Zoom workshops for young people across the UK with the same rare syndrome (Kabuki) as myself. They gain so much by connecting through drama. I love all aspects of my work and am very much looking forward to the opportunity to grow and develop through working with Birds Of Paradise and bringing the love of drama to more young people.

Morna McGeoch (BOPs Development Officer) will be managing the project, so if you have any questions about booking or access, get in touch with Morna.

Where and when will the workshops happen?

All the workshops will happen on Zoom.

Workshops will take place on Monday and Wednesday evenings from 5pm until 6.30pm (including breaks). The dates are:

Monday 27th July
Wednesday 29th July
Monday 3rd August
Wednesday 5th August
Monday 10th August
Wednesday 12th August

You don’t have to attend all of the workshops, you can attend as many as you want to.

Once you have signed up for the workshops, you will be emailed a Zoom link that you can use to come along to each workshop (it will be the same link for each workshop).

You can have your camera on or off during the workshop. You can use the microphone and/or the chat function during the workshop to communicate.

Accessibility

As a disabled-led company, BOP wants to make all of our activities as accessible as possible for everyone involved.

When you sign up you will be asked about your access requirements – what you need so that you can take part in activities as best as possible for you.

This information is confidential and will only be seen by the workshop leaders so they can plan the workshops to be as accessible as possible for all of the participants.

Your access requirements might be things like – I need instructions to be written down as well as spoken out loud OR I communicate only by typing OR I need a sign language interpreter.

How do I sign up?

If you have any questions about this project, contact Morna morna@boptheatre.co.uk

Youth Arts Online 2023

Each week, a group of young disabled people joined Mal and Ink on Zoom to try a different creative activity and connect as a community. 

About the workshops

Workshop 1 – Tuesday July 4th 2023 at 7:00-8:30pm (with breaks)

Welcome Games: Relaxed session to get to know each other and play some games – but don’t worry if you can’t make it we will do introductions at the start of each session.

Workshop 2 – Tuesday July 11th 2023 at 7:00-8:30pm (with breaks)

Character Creation: Do you have a favourite character, maybe two or three? What would happen if you took the best bits from each one and combined them?

Workshop 3 – Tuesday July 18th 2023 at 7:00-8:30pm (with breaks)

Stage Boxes: Miniature models of theatre stages can be used by designers but also to make a show more accessible. Lets make one – what has the right colours, the right textures?

rkshop 4 – Tuesday July 25th 2023 at 7:00-8:30pm (with breaks)

Storytelling and Plot: Combining the brains of everyone in the room lets make a story together.