Young People's Puppet Theatre
The puppet project - exceeding expectations
Our award-winning arts projects help children facing disadvantages at home to develop creative technical skills as well as confidence, resilience and independence. With your support, we can reach more children just when they need these skills most in the challenging transition to secondary school.
It ran from 12:00 PM, 1 December 2020 to 12:00 PM, 8 December 2020
Registered Charity in England and Wales (1165649)
Match funded Campaign target
£15,000
Amount raised
£21,048
Donations
247
Championed by The Reed Foundation
Location
United Kingdom
Campaign overview
Aims
Where's the money going?
Impact & reporting
I was just absolutely so impressed that they were able to achieve so much more than we actually realised as teachers that they could achieve. It’s just been amazing to see everybody working so well as a team.
— Barbara, teacher, Stony Dean School, 2019
I loved making my puppet. It turned out so much better than I thought it would. This completely changed my opinion of school and what I could do.
— Natalie, age 11, puppetmaker and voice actor, 2019
Her confidence and self-esteem has completely sky-rocketed! She’s so proud of herself. I will, as a parent, remind her that, in spite of her nerves, she achieved what she set out to do.
— Magdalena, parent, 2019
Thank you, thank you, thank you for the fantastic experience you have given the children. My son has not stopped enthusing about it since day 1! The work that you do is absolutely fantastic and the trust that you bestow upon young children to take responsibility is very rare and much needed.
— Jim, parent, 2019
Situation
The transition to secondary school is stressful for all children; it is even worse for those who face additional challenges such as learning difficulties, English as a second language, caring responsibilities, or poverty at home. Without opportunities to develop key social skills, disadvantaged children can easily start secondary school on the back foot, and remain there. The disruption caused by coronavirus has hit these children hardest, and made it more likely that they will struggle.
Solution
Through our large-scale puppetry projects, disadvantaged children in Year Six develop creative and life skills which help them thrive despite the challenges of transition to secondary school. The children work together to create a complex marionette show from scratch, taking ownership of the production at every stage. While building puppets and sets, they also build concentration, teamwork and communication skills and gain independence, self-confidence and resilience.
