Northamptonshire Committee drama tackles issues affecting young people

The drama, Skin Deep, depicts the story of two girl friends who fall in love with boys from two different gangs. The boyfriend of one of the girls, Faulkner, happens to be the brother of the other girl, and when he learns that his sister is dating a boy from a rival gang, he gets very upset and aggressive. 

This culminates in violence and aggression, as the only thing that Faulkner understands is that ‘Fear is the currency of the street - it buys you respect’. The betrayal leads to an explosion of violence that changes the lives of all the characters forever. Once the play had finished, workshops with all the young people who watched it followed, focusing on:
 

• Gang culture – An exploration of the basis for gangs and groups, the forms they take, how they exist and the way they support unhealthy relationships, and in particular sexual exploitation through grooming.
• Racism – Challenging the pupils in their thinking about racism and other boundaries that define gangs/groups, and developing their understanding of the effects on people’s lives of racist and extreme attitudes.
• Violence – Encouraging pupils to consider the social and legal consequences of the violent and extreme behaviour used by gangs. Threats that start with words can progress to physical acts of aggression and the use of knives and guns.
• Signposting – Where students can go for help and the introduction of Fearless as well as the roles of the Police, school staff and other agencies.

The feedback from students and teachers has been amazing and as a result of these productions, there have been a small number of students who have found the courage to come forward and speak to the safeguarding team about issues affecting their lives - a fantastic result!

The play was funded with money from the Percy Hoskins award, a fund set up in memory of Mr Hoskins, a former chief crime correspondent for the Daily Express.

"Just wanted to say a massive thank-you from the staff and students at Weavers for your fantastic efforts today (maybe next time we should invite parents!). The play was really powerful and your casting of actors brilliant. It was so relevant for our Year 10 cohort and also helped us, as staff, try to appreciate the pressures that our young people have to face."