A case study from Creative Partnerships Nottingham: Elms Primary School, Stephen Jon, Peter Rumney (playwright and director), Michelle Vacciana, David Higgins (musician and performance artist), Graham Forde, Jay Pollitt.
Boyz2Men is designed to support boys who are at risk of isolating themselves from the school community because of their challenging behaviour or emotional difficulties. The project/research programme worked initially with a core group of boys from years five and six. Playwright Peter Rumney and musician David Higgins brought together a multi-disciplinary team of experienced creative practitioners, mentors, behaviour support workers and educationalists to work with the teachers and the boys.
They addressed the experience of transition from primary to secondary school and developed strategies for promoting positive behaviour and achievement at this stage of their lives, focusing through various creative disciplines on issues of masculinity.
The group has engaged in a wide range of creative activities, including dance, drumming, visual art, drama, story making, mask work and new media, to help develop self-confidence, self-awareness, communication and citizenship skills. The boys also explore a set of ?rituals? that enable them to feel safe and confident in the work, adhering to rules and boundaries and making an active commitment to the creative work.
Through an ongoing programme of creative activities, the teachers and the boys are discovering positive ways of solving difficult problems and dealing with frustrating situations, finding constructive ways of self-expression and learning new communication skills.
Further details of the types of partnership work can be found in the project gallery at http://www.creative-partnerships.com/projects