In 2020 and 2021, despite the pandemic, Jersey Arts Centre continued Education and Outreach opportunities with and for the community in schools.
In 2020, we were able to continue with our workshop programme based around Holocaust Memorial Day. Over 5 days we ran 10 workshops in 9 schools with 263 attendances. The workshops explored three key aspects of the Holocaust: the context of World War II, the Occupation of the Island and The Jersey 21. The workshops were positively received and it is an initiative we will continue in the future.
In 2020, we were also just in time to be able to bring back our previous initiative of World Book Day workshops, just a couple of weeks before the Island faced its first lockdown. Over 5 days we ran 9 workshops in 8 schools with 216 attendances. Janette Froud, who is part of Jersey Arts Centre’s Theatre-in-Education Company, ran these workshops which explored words and their meaning along with activities based around students’ favourite books and stories.
After the success of the Christmas Show outreach programme held since 2017, Jersey Arts Centre ran workshops based on Gerald Durrell’s ‘My Family and Other Animals’ throughout November 2020; on Arthur Ransome’s ‘Swallows & Amazons’ throughout November 2021; and on Lewis Carrol’s ‘Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass’ in November 2022. In 2020, and over the course of 3 weeks, we delivered 23 workshops in 14 schools with 590 participants. In 2021, and over three weeks, we delivered 21 workshops in 15 schools with 511 participants. In 2022, and over four weeks, we delivered 27 workshops in 17 schools with 659 participants.
Really engaging for the children which brought out their creativity. Nice range of activities well-suited to the age group and well organised by the tutor. The workshop was a good length of time for this age group, too. A great afternoon – thank you and good luck with the show!
[Overall assessment: Excellent] – Grouville Primary School, year 4, ‘Swallows & Amazons’ workshop
The main aspects of these workshops are the three key Jersey Arts Centre theatre disciplines of: communication, concentration and commitment. Along with this, students gained an understanding of the stories and themes of ‘My Family and Other Animals’ and ‘Swallows and Amazons’ through freeze frame and characterisation exercises. The workshops also had a focus on conservation, storytelling and design with which the students were hugely engaged.
In 2021, Jersey Arts Centre also delivered a series of Liberation workshops, over two weeks, with 16 workshops in 14 schools with 387 participants.
Throughout 2020, there were a total of 42 workshops in schools with 1,069 participants.
Throughout 2021, there were a total of 37 workshops in schools with 898 participants.
Throughout 20022, there were a total of 55 workshops in schools with 1,414 participants.
For more information about Schools’ Workshops, please contact our Education and Outreach Coordinator, Hettie Duncan: hettie@artscentre.je
Please see Jersey Arts Centre’s Safeguarding Policy – on our Policies page – for all relevant information.