Red Ladder Theatre Company

It is a year-and-a-half since my first experience of Red Ladder. At a conference in Huddersfield, the force of nature that is our Red Leader; Rod Dixon, addressed a group of nervous young writers. He did nothing to settle our nerves, in fact, the whole experience was terrifying, however he was also inspirational. I sent an e-mail rating back about all of my own fears and hopes that he had touched on; the crisis of our economic system, the apathy that fuels it, my own intense fear for the future of our planet (like I said, the talk was terrifying) and my desire to play any small part in a theatre company that is tackling these issues head on. Little did I know, eighteen months later I would be working as Red Ladder’s Global Justice Advocate, with my own red business cards and everything!

I now run The Global Justice Project. This comes as a series of workshops for young people in schools and community groups. We seek to engage, empower and equip young people to become Social Change Advocates, helping to foster an ethos of caring and respect in their world. The workshops promote community cohesion and support schools in their delivery of SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning) related curriculum. The program uses drama related games, role play, multi-media and group discussion to increase confidence and inspire young people to fulfill their potential to promote positive social change.

The Global Justice Project itself has been incredibly exciting for me, and for Red Ladder as a company. The first projects in Pennistone school had great outcomes with students making comments such as; “Today I have learnt that something needs to be done to change the world”, “I’ve learnt that you don’t have to use violence to be heard”, and “I’ve learnt to value other people”, amongst many others. Rod and I then took up a project in Priory school in Barnsley on a much longer-term.

 Apart from Rod and I having several incredibly intense and rewarding days working with young people there, we got yet more impressive results. The school had asked us to address racism and 100% of the students said afterwards that they had changed their attitudes towards certain groups of people. 90% said their confidence was increased and 80% said they were actively going to try and change something in their communities as a result of the workshops. All of them said they wanted to do more work with us in the future. Apart from a lot of laughs, there were also tears (mine and Rod’s included), some personal revelations and a level of conversation that was more honest and open that I have ever experienced in a room of adults.

 The next step for The Global Justice Project is to go on the road with the new production ‘Ugly’ and tackle the issues that the play throws up; climate catastrophe, what it means to be human, our capacity for empathy and compassion and the judgements and labels we throw at each other, all from the ‘Global Justice’ perspective. My personal aim is to give each gig an audience base of strong, confident young people who are inspired to take positive action towards creating a more peaceful, sustainable and connected planet. It may sound ambitious, however I believe that it’s not only wholly achievable, but completely necessary.

By engaging in the workshops, schools are left with a group of students who are increasingly empathic, engaged and united. It really is a privilege to be a part of such an important process.

It’s been an intense eighteen months for me since joining Red Ladder, and I can’t say that I am any less terrified than I was back in Huddersfield. However, being surrounded by an amazing team of people who live and breathe the fight for global justice, whilst making intelligent, provocative and, of course, entertaining theatre, certainly makes it easier to cope with.

If you would like to know more about the Global Justice Project e-mail me: grace@redladder.co.uk

We are just one part of a huge global movement towards a more peaceful, sustainable and connected world. Here are some other pieces of the puzzle that may interest and inspire you:

Only got one minute? Watch this: www.globalcommunity.org

Climate Camp – A friendly and very active group tackling climate change: http://climatecamp.org.uk/

People and Planet – Students at schools and Universities campaigning on world poverty, human right and the environment: http://peopleandplanet.org/

Hope not Hate – A national group fighting racism: www.hopenothate.org.uk

Truetube – Loads of videos and information on moving towards a more just world. This one on ethical shopping is a good starting point. www.truetube.co.uk

Information on climate change - http://vimeo.com/1709110

If you haven’t already seen ‘The Age of Stupid’ movie, then do!www.ageofstupid.net

And finally, James Bruge has put together ‘The Big Earth Book’. This is great for a more in-depth look at ways to tackle our planet’s crisis.  Get angry, get active! www.amazon.com/Big-Earth-Book-Solutions-Planet