Snap in performance

At the first workshop the males were provided with folders that contained the dates and outcome of workshops, SNAP drugs fact sheet, information on cigarettes and alcohol, FRANK fact sheets on substances and LDAP poster with local support agencies for young people. The group read out loud FRANK fact sheets, looked at the drug box and became aware of the effects of substances in connection to themselves, friends and family.

Charlie Dark facilitated games, which helped the group to focus on their listening and observation skills. In addition to making the group become aware that poetry need not rhyme and to play with words creatively by introducing role-play, which made the participants aware of the words, associated with specific actions. SNAP photographed documentary shots for a collage to show the group the following week.

In the second workshop the group word stormed the different names for drugs and explored how substance use would make them feel and want to do if they, a friend or family member choose to take drugs. The group also looked at the drug box again and used the drug box in a role play for a photo shoot in which the group role enacted a group of friends having fun, someone acting as a drug dealer, exchanging money with the gang for the drug box,untill being arrested and standing with their hands against the wall, whilst being searched. After the photo shoot the group worked with Charlie Dark in putting together lyrics from the word storm and the group came up with this after working in pairs:

Three workshops took place at Lewsey Farm Learning Resource Centre where two female Asian students from the Orchard Centre took part in exploring words, lifestyle, culture and substance use. At the start of the workshops the students were reluctant to create a piece of performance poetry or even perform to the public .Charlie Dark enabled the females to talk about themselves in relation to their own senses taste, smell, sight, touch, and aural. This exercise worked well as the following verses where drawn from the thought shower:

Are You From Challney?

Sometimes my life is a STRUGGLE
Sometimes my life is a task
I'd like to share this with somebody ,
But there is NOBODY TO TRUST
But I'm used to it.
Sometimes it makes me SICK,
Coz I'm going through hell and nobody notices.
I think I will runaway,
That will give them something to say.
Perhaps with me gone,
Then that's one problem out of the way.
I think I'm going INSANE,
God take me back to the days when life wasn't so complicated,
This life man I hate it.

I remember when I was a little nipper
My closest friends were Pooh Bear, Piglet and Tigger.
But now I'm am bigger and every time I feel like cussing,
I walk out the door and take a trip to my cousins.
She is the only one who listens,
She knows me down to a tee
She's wicked she went to university.
On the outside I'm tough
But on the inside I'm like a teddy
Just soft and cuddly
And nothing to say.
But in the hands in the wrong company
Their ways and influences bring out the thug in me
But this way none can make a mug out of me.
But still there is one or two boys
Who think they can take me for a ride
But boy once you piss me off
I'll be the one saying Goodbye.

In my culture I was told
to sit there and look cute.
But the thing is I drink, I smoke
And do all the things I'm supposed to do.
Don't get me wrong CULTURE is important to me
But I don't know why
It's the simplest things in life that make me CRY.

I'm just a BAD GIRL
Proud of who I am
But still stuck in two worlds
Mum said I should have been a boy
and my brother should have been a girl.
Mum! Its not my fault I do the things I do
I do them for me and not for you.
Still my mum isn't to bad, I never used to listen
I'm glad I do now
Coz I should have went to prison.

I've got a lot to say but not enough time to tell
I'm looking forward to this freedom and getting out of this HELL.

Rahana and Shireen ages 16

The young women evaluated their work by saying,

"we enjoyed it otherwise we wouldn't have kept coming".

A teacher added that they would have voted with their feet and not attended if they had not enjoyed the workshops.

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