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The UK’s ‘Children’s Champions at St Donats Arts Centre
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The UK’s ‘Children’s Champions’ - a group of Welsh visually impaired and blind children search for children from Wales and the world to join them in a unique new Summer School at St Donats Arts Centre, the first of its kind in Wales
A group of Wales’ young visually impaired and blind performers, voted the UK’s National Lottery ‘Children’s Champions’, is searching for young people from south Wales and the world to join them in a new Summer School at St Donats Arts Centre – the first of its kind in Wales - between Monday 11 and Thurs 14 August.
Children from Wales will be given a unique opportunity to gain acting, music and technical skills, including body percussion and beatbox before performing on stage to family and friends alongside UCAN members. They will also be joined by students from all over the world who live and study at the United World College of the Atlantic based at St Donats Castle.
The performance group for children with visual impairment, called UCAN, began life in 2005 after its founders were inspired by a choral project with blind children in Sierra Leone, West Africa. The experience changed their perceptions of what children could achieve and with the help of the Royal National Institute for the Blind Cymru they set up a Welsh project that went on to win the UK National Lottery ‘Children’s Champions Award 2006’ over 460 other UK projects.
Officers from the Royal National Institute for the Blind Cymru will also be on hand to train the young participants in visual impairment assistance which will give the sighted children an insight into the daily experience of blind and visually impaired people.
The summer school, which is funded by The Big Lottery, will be led by the highly experienced director and former Hollyoaks and Pobol y Cwm actor, Bernard Latham. As an actor and director for over 30 years, he and his wife, Jane set up UCAN Productions to give children with visual impairment in Wales access to the arts.
“The ethos of the summer school is pure encouragement and fun. Of course, we know from experience that the side-effects include increased confidence, self esteem and improved communication and teamwork skills. Sighted and visually-impaired children meeting, working and performing together with young people from all over the world – this really is a special experience for everyone involved. ” says Bernard.
St Donats Arts Centre, which is hosting the summer school, is taking applications will be arranging places for young people aged 11 upwards. Each day will run from 12 noon to 6pm and the visual impairment assistance training will take place on Sunday 10 August. The whole experience will finish with a performance on the last day.
Janet Smith, General Manager of St Donats Arts Centre said, “This is an extremely important element of the arts centre’s work that brings together young people from different communities and different backgrounds. The arts offer unique opportunities to really build insight and understanding about people whose experience of life is very different from our own.”
“Demand will be high for these places especially as we operate an inclusive, open access policy which means that children will not be auditioned and so will not need any previous experience,” she said.
The cost of the school is £55 and is free to those with a visual impairment. Places are limited. Contact St Donats box office on 01446 799100 to secure a place.
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Saturday, July 26, 2008 |
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