What Would You Do?
Commissioned by the Crimestoppers in the West Country, we have been running the innovative ‘What Would You Do?’ project since 2015. During WWYD we work with up to 8 schools at a time, exploring specific challenges within communities. such as county lines, knife crime, exploitation, online safety, healthy relationships and mob mentality. Within weekly sessions the children experience these themes through participatory led work, sharing their knowledge through performances and films. The project culminates in a live performance (e.g. at the Colton hall/ Ashton Gate stadium), where the schools come together and teach their community about these highly sensitive, but incredibly important topics.
To date the project has worked with over 39 primary schools across Bristol and the South West benefitting over 2,500 young people, 39 school communities and thousands of parents / carers and families of the children. The 2018 outcome resulted in engaging over 800 community members to a performance finale at the Colston Hall in Bristol and, with over 70% of these audience members never attending events such as these. Past films from these events have been used locally and nationally to evidence how communities can report crime anonymously and confidently.
Participating Schools
Millpond Primary School
St Werburghs Primary School
St Barnabas Primary School
Summerhill Primary School
St Barnabas Primary School
St Werburghs Primary School
Broomhill Primary School
West Town Lane Academy
Wicklea Academy
Kingfisher Academy
Millpond Primary School
Bannerman Road Academy
Oasis Academy Connaught
Hareclive Academy
Ilminster Academy
Frome Vale Academy
Christ the King Primary School
May Park Primary School
Filton Avenue Primary School
Walliscote Primary School
Windwhistle Primary School
Milton Park Primary School
Bournville Primary School
Greenfield EACT Academy
Fair Furlong Primary School
Victoria Park Primary School
Sea Mills Primary School
St Peters C of E Primary School
Nova Primary School
Hamp Academy
Somerset Bridge Primary School
Bridgwater College Academy
Blackhorse Primary School
Wallscourt Farm Academy
St Michaels C of E Primary School
St Michael’s Academy
Huish Primary School
Oaklands Community Primary School
Birchfield Community Primary School
Below you can view some examples of film extracted from the finale performances from our ‘What Would You Do?’ programme throughout the years.
2020 IN FOCUS
So far in 2020, the ‘What Would You Do?’ Yeovil programme completed with great success on the 13th February. 60 young people from Yeovil took to the stage at Westlands Yeovil to showcase their learning.
The WWYD programme has been empowering young people across 4 of Yeovil’s primary schools (St Michael’s Academy, Huish Primary School, Oaklands Community Primary School, Birchfield Community Primary School). Over a course of 6 weeks, we delivered workshops in the schools to teach the children how to advocate safe messages around the subjects of the importance of community, online safety, expolitation and anti-social behaviour, all taught through the use of the arts.
Children from each school were selected to represent their school and champion in one of the subjects by performing a creative section on the night to empower their community with their knowledge.
We will be delivering the programme in North Somerset and South Gloucestershire when social distancing has come to an end.
Teacher Testimonials
"What Would You Do? has given the children in our class an opportunity to develop their understanding of how to play an important role in their community. Through ongoing role plays and discussion, children have learnt what behaviour is acceptable and what is not. More important, they have developed an understanding of what to do if they see people behaving in inappropriate and unacceptable ways. They now know who crime stoppers are and how to contact them. The sessions have also helped the children develop their confidence in acting and sharing ideas in front of their peers. This has been a valuable experience. Thank you".
The children of Saint Barnabas have immensely enjoyed their time spent with unique voice over the last couple of months. Due to the interactive nature and structure of the activities, all children have achieved great things in terms of performance, confidence, and understanding of the issues which affect us all. The safe environment, which unique voice has fostered, enabled the children to explore their feelings and responses to real life situations.
