“The Young People became aware that they also have the ability to achieve, because they have a ‘heroic potential inside’ themselves.”
THE HERO INSIDE PROGRAMME
CREATIVITY, IDENTITY, CULTURAL HERITAGE & WELL-BEING
The arts initiative developed was a multi-dimensional programme to address the key concerns identified by Southwark. Low self-esteem and under achievement were significantly affecting the life chances among young people, especially boys of African descent.
CREATIVE
DEVELOPING COLLABORATIVE LEARNING
The Comic Arts Concept was developed for the Hero Inside programme in London as it was felt this dynamic art form would excite the young fertile minds of any disengaged young person. The stories challenged their thinking calling for a critical response, promoting problem solving and sparking discussions with peers. The creative elements weaved into The Hero Inside Comic Arts Programme were drama, script writing, illustration and digital technology.
CONSULTANCY
PROMOTING POSITIVE ROLE MODELS
It was essential that the programme gave young people access to positive self-images and stories that promoted their cultural identity and raised their self-esteem. The Golden Legacy Historical Comic Book series was selected to raise awareness of the achievements of African descent people and act as a catalyst or inspiring the participant's own aspirations. A specialist Focused Group programme was developed for 30 participants and held at the former Heritage of Afrikan Descendents Museum.
INSET DAY & LEARNING RESOURCE
EXPLORING THE STAGES OF THE PROGRAMME
The training day at the Heritage of African Descendants prepared teachers for the three month programme. The session introduced the 'Hero Inside' philosophy of the programme, a range of drama strategies and the learning resource.
STAGE ONE CREATE FROM WITHIN
DRAMA WRITING WORKSHOPS
In Stage One students were guided through a series of story writing workshops with industry experts from the world of theatre, TV and film. A secure environment was created to facilitate heightened interaction and personal discovery among the participants.
STAGE TWO DRAW YOUR STORY
ILLUSTRATION WORKSHOPS
The illustration workshops were led by illustrator Olu Oke. The main objective of the session focused on empowering students to confidently draw their own hair, eyes and nose, the features that define our identity and are often sidelined in popular mainstream comic books.
FOCUSED GROUP SELF-ESTEEM
SPECIAL PROGRAMME
Each school selected 5 students that would benefit from an intense programme of workshops that focused on exploring cultural heritage within a secure and interactive creative learning space. The sessions boosted self-esteem, raised aspirations and enabled participants to overcome shyness and anxiety.
STAGE THREE EXHIBIT
PUBLIC EXHIBITION
The comic arts project culminated in a public exhibition at the Menier Gallery showcasing the creative achievements and personal discoveries of the six participating schools alongside the inspirational Golden Legacy Comic Book Series and a limited edition collection of African American comics. EXPLORE FURTHER
FIND YOUR VOICE
RADIO PROGRAMME
Lyndhurst school utilised their radio station to interview participants from other schools about the notion of a hero and what they had learnt about themselves during the programme.
The Hero Inside Programme featured at the following conferences: National Strategies, Southwark Inclusion and Capita Community Cohesion conference.
“At the conference, colleagues experienced the high quality of the ‘Hero Inside’ work, the workshop was impressive and of a very high standard”