As well as performance and workshop projects QYT offers training weekends for members and other young people wanting to gain skills and confidence for leading drama workshops.
Basic Drama Training is offered annually and is open to anyone aged 16-25 years. No previous experience of leading groups is necessary. This weekend is required for anyone wanting to join QYT's team of facilitators. Once you have completed this training weekend you will be able to assist experienced facilitators run day and weekend workshops for children and young people from Quaker meetings around the country.
Specialised skills weekends are offered for experienced workshop leaders to gain new techniques or skills. These have included designing workshops for focussing on specific issues or themes, creating a performance from a short series of workshops, including songs and movement into workshops, and using Boalsssssssss Forum Theatre techniques. Each year there is a weekend focussed on a different technique.
In addition there are specialised weekends for those who have led workshops and wish to work on specific themes or problems. In 2000 the facilitators team spent a workshop looking at coping with conflict both within leaders teams as well as within participant groups. In 2001 QYT facilitators attended a day of 'Training the Trainer' for Hearing Concern's Sympathetic Hearing Scheme. This enables our facilitators to incorporate deaf awareness training into our workshops as well as offer specialised deaf awareness training workshops.
New members are welcome to join in both the Basic Drama Training weekend and the specialised skills weekend. If you are over 25 years and are keen to develop skills in leading drama workshops, we may be able to fit you onto a weekend. Contact QYT's drama worker to discuss your previous experience and needs.
Katy Ellerton's report of BDT 2002:
In January a small group met up in Northfield Meeting House, Birmingham. Some of us had little experience in facilitation and drama whereas others had a bit more, but we were all there to learn more, besides meeting up with friends and having a good time!
We brainstormed what we thought a facilitator should be, and then Rachael and Naomi guided us through how to facilitate a basic drama workshop, from the signing of the group contract through to teaching new games, and 101 ways (I'm exagerating a little...) of exploring still image and roleplay. They gave us as much time as they could so that we could try out the techniques, and we all lead jointly at least two short sessions for the rest of the group. It meant it was easier to see how other people facilitate, and pick up on their good and bad points.
I think we all came away from the event eager to try out what we'd learnt on other people, and with much more confidence!
