drugs and
substance abuse

relationships and
domestic violence

knife crime

teenage pregnancy
and sexual health

consequences of
offending

skills for independent living

restorative
justice

bullying and emotional literacy

primary to
secondary
transition

alcohol misuse

exploring diversity and community cohesion

 

Moving On Up
Transition, Bullying and Personal Safety

Moving On Up was developed in 2007, in partnership with Islington Police and CEA at Islington.


Target audience

Moving On Up is suitable for young people in Mainstream Education who are 10 and 11 years old and preparing to move into secondary school. The programme is also suitable for Conference and Training events. Elements of Moving On Up may also be used as "stand alone" programmes with other audiences and age groups.



Objectives


-
To dispel some of the myths that cause the anxieties associated with moving to secondary school.

- To help develop coping strategies when faced with new, challenging and sometimes threatening situations, but at the same time celebrating the move and creating a greater feeling of confidence and assurance.

- To look specifically at bullying and the forms that it can take and to explore strategies for dealing with bullying and seeking help and external intervention.

- To look at issues of personal safety and crime prevention, within the school environment, outside and on public transport.



The play

Through episodic scenes, the play tells the stories of Jessica, Bernie, Chelsea and Levi, who are about to begin Year 7 at a new school. They all have fears and anxieties (some real and some imagined or built up from stories they have heard).

Levi's greatest fear is that he will become the victim of bullies. Chelsea and Bernie are worried about fitting in and making new friends. Jessica is more concerned about keeping herself and her belongings safe whilst she is living a more independent lifestyle out on the streets and on public transport.

Finally, it is a year later and the audience are able to see how they have each coped. Most of their anxieties were unfounded, they are thriving in their new schools and each seem to have become notably more mature, independent and carefree.



The workshop

The workshop addresses each of the three issues separately.

Through discussion and analysis, the myths and stories about what they may encounter at secondary school are dispelled and genuine queries and concerns are addressed.

By meeting characters from the scenes, the audience are able to get a greater insight into bullying. What is bullying? Was Levi bullied? Was there anything more that his friends or classmates could have done to help him and where could he himself have gone to seek help? Audience members are invited to play characters within these scenes and experiment with ways that they may be able to change or influence what takes place.

The final section of the workshop looks in detail at a journey home that Jessica makes where she becomes the victim of a robbery. The audience are invited to pinpoint mistakes that she may have made during the journey and other courses of action she could have taken in order to lessen the likelihood of her becoming a victim of crime.