Storytelling LEAP's into the digital age!
Tuesday 13th December at the Roe Valley Leisure Centre saw the celebration of one of Limavady Educational Alternative Provision’s (LEAP) Year 12 classes completing the Verbal Arts Centre’s BUZZ Programme.

Cynthia Browne, the Verbal Arts Centre’s Creative Arts Co-ordinator in Drugs Education, explains the progress of the programme; “The programme, which lasts for approximately 8 weeks, consists of a variety of activities which begins for many of the older classes with a presentation from Limavady PSNI detailing the facts, legislation and classification of drugs. The young participants then go on to explore the issues of drug use and its negative implications for an individual’s life as well as its detrimental effect on communities where drugs are prevalent. Where the BUZZ Programme differs from other drugs education projects is that it facilitates this exploration entirely through the arts. In most cases, the young people are not aware that they are gaining a wealth of knowledge about drugs and their devastating effects as they are so engaged in the activities which can involve photography, modelling, drama, stage make-up, creative writing, painting and drawing, etc. The programme has never just been about imparting valuable information but, more importantly, it is about altering attitudes so that young people can make informed and healthier choices about their own lives whenever necessary.

Towards the end of the programme, older groups work on a main project which is designed specifically to act as a deterrent from drugs to other young people. As their main project, the LEAP group created a digital story on the subject of solvent abuse. They designed the layout for the story, modelled each of the photographs used in it and recorded the voiceover. The most interesting aspect of this particular digital story is that it is a real account of someone’s experience and not a scripted piece of fiction. Whilst details of the experience are slightly restricted to maintain the anonymity of the speaker, its authenticity in the portrayal of the stark reality of solvent abuse will serve as an excellent tool in deterring other young people from attempting this extremely dangerous activity.”

The LEAP group is part of the Altnagelvin Hospital School & Tuition Service which is funded by PEACE II in conjunction with the Western Education and Library Board.

Click here to view LEAP solvent abuse story >>

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