Y Touring Bodies report by Y Touring Theatre Company

SPEAK OUT ON BODIES Y Touring

SPEAK OUT ON BODIES evaluation report: may 2009

As the media perpetuates our vanity and body obsession with images of the 'perfect' Westernised form, our government reports rising levels of obesity, type II diabetes and heart disease. If we're not stuffing ourselves, we're starving ourselves or surgically enhancing or reducing in order to swim in the mainstream.

Delivered by: Y Touring Supported by: Central YMCA

SPEAK OUT ON BODIES Y Touring

Contents 1. Executive summary 2. Introduction 2.1 Background 2.2 Objectives 2.3 Method of evaluation 2.4 This report 3. Method 4. Evaluations 5. Conclusions 6. Recommendations 7. Appendices 1. Executive summary 'Speak Out on Bodies' is Y Touring's first participatory outreach project delivered using the Theatre of Debate® format. This report aims to evaluate both the effectiveness of the methodology and the content in terms of delivering an engaging workshop to explore body image in its widest context. The report draws together evaluative material from a number of sources.

2. Introduction 2.1 Background Inspired by Susie Orbach's book 'Bodies', developed in response to Central YMCA's priority area 'What is a healthy body?' and complimentary to a piece of research of the same name commissioned by the Policy and Public Affairs Department, 'Speak Out on Bodies' was developed as a community engagement tool to give a youth voice to evidence the research base. The programme of workshops delivered in local primary and secondary schools between 22nd April - 15th May 2009, informed a series of focus group session developed alongside Dr Paul Bedford, an independent researcher. This project, however, has a second aim. Its secondary aim was to creatively explore body image and ask, in terms of age, gender and cultural identity: 'What is a healthy body?'. 'Speak Out on Bodies' workshops were co-facilitated by EJ Trivett (Associate Director, Participation), Rachel Wagstaff and Simon Vinnicombe. The latter are experienced playwrights who have established relationships with Y Touring. The role of the playwright in this workshop process was to inform the future development of the project in terms of commissioning new writing on the topic of ‘Bodies’ and body image. Material generated and collected from participants aimed to provide rich resources for the writers to develop a responsive and relevant script for public performance.

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2.2 Objectives Below details the key objectives and aims upon which the project was devised. Key aims:  Explore the effectiveness of participatory workshops as a vehicle to explore the enquiry, 'What is a healthy body?' and to ascertain participants' opinions and attitudes in terms of body image, exercise, eating and influences  Explore the effectiveness of Qwizdom in a workshop context as a tool to measure and monitor attitudinal change/ development as a direct result of project  Explore the use of facebook as a continued engagement tool beyond workshops  Establish a delivery format using theatre and creative learning as a research tool with clear monitoring and evaluation (M&E) opportunities. Objectives:  Delivery w/c 20th April- 15th May to 10 local (Camden/ Islington) schools 2 x half day workshops per school  30-40 students per workshop. Therefore 600-800 participants per project  Engaging groups face to face, encouraging digital and multi media follow up and continued debate online  Project is co-facilitated by a writer with a view to developing the findings towards a production.

2.3 Method of evaluation Various methods were used to evaluate the experiences of key stakeholders in the 'Speak Out on Bodies' workshops. Participants' development and direct impact was measured in pre and post workshop questions using Qwizdom, an anonymous electronic voting system, which collates quantitative data on specified questions. Qualitative data was collected in the form of facebook interaction and surveys from Teacher Evaluation and Facilitator Evaluation forms. To clarify the methodology for chapter 4, data will be extracted from the following sources: 1. 2. 3. 4.

Qwizdom/ Participant Evaluation Facebook Interaction Teacher Evaluation Forms Facilitator Evaluation Forms

2.4 This report This report is intended for internal use, and, using collated data, aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the participatory workshop method as a vehicle for exploring participants’ opinions on body image. It further aims to identify, based on this opinion, 'what is a healthy body?'

3. Method Responding to Central YMCA's priority area of obesity, (which was later developed to identify 'What is a healthy body?') Y Touring wanted to position itself to explore the factors contributing to unhealthy attitudes to the body. The Associate Director, Participation (ADP) developed a new programme of work to engage groups in an outreach capacity and felt the topic was a clear opportunity for the format of Y Touring's participatory work to reflect that of the productions.

The 'Speak Out on Bodies' package was offered over a 4 week delivery period to 2 primary and 27 secondary schools, with whom Y Touring has relationships, predominantly from Camden and surrounding boroughs. 7 of the secondary schools and both primary schools took up the offer. Schools were asked to accommodate 2 sessions within a day in order to be time and cost effective with facilitators. Unfortunately at late notice two of the centres with block bookings cancelled their sessions, reducing overall participation to 352 students. There are preventative measures for the future suggested in the Recommendations section of this document. For a detailed timetable of participating schools see appendix 1.

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Following an extended period of research which coincided with the launch of Susie Orbach's book 'Bodies', development and planning of a 2.5 hour workshop (shorter 2 hours sessions available by request) began inspired by the key themes of the book. Once the key themes of the book were identified (disordered eating, personal choice, cosmetic surgery, disordered attitude to exercise) a comprehensive portfolio of curriculum links for Key Stage 3 and 4 students were prepared using a cross section of examination boards (OCR, Edexcel, AQA). These curriculum links went on to inform the educational relevance and content of the workshop. It was continually important to ensure that work was being developed with a cross-curricular perspective incorporating material to complement the following areas of learning:      

PSHE and Citizenship Science Drama Religious Studies English Physical Education

as well as incorporating a new learning frameworks called Cross Curricular Dimensions and Personal, Learning and Thinking Skills (PLTS) currently being rolled out across the National Curriculum. Identification of these links informed the content of both the workshop and supporting materials, preparatory and follow up lesson plans. Co-facilitators EJ Trivett, Rachel Wagstaff and Simon Vinnicombe devised a workshop plan incorporating a variety of theatre, writing and debate based activities to address the key areas of enquiry: body image, exercise, eating and external influences. In order to connect the workshop with the existing body of work it was important to integrate recognisable elements from Y Touring delivery and development format, for example, Qwizdom questions (see appendix 2), theatre and writing exercises (for full workshop plan see appendix 3) and Value Continuum (see appendix 4). Results of improvisations and monologue exercises were filmed and uploaded onto a dedicated facebook group, Theatre of Debate: Speak Out. Throughout the workshops it was vital to facilitate an environment within which participants felt they could speak openly, be empowered to express their personal opinions and react to the subject matter with uninhibited responses. This is referred to throughout this document as a 'safe' space. Teaching staff were asked to complete Teacher Evaluation Forms (see appendix 5) and return them to the ADP by post, fax or email, 70% of which were returned. Findings from these are detailed below in chapter 4. Following workshop delivery, business cards (see appendix 6) signposting to various support resources were distributed and young people were invited to join the facebook group to interact with filmed material and submit their own films. Adam Deacon, who starred in cult youth films 'Kidulthood' and 'Adulthood', provided the project with a short film clip speaking openly about his thoughts on body image, which provided key stimulus for interaction online, engaging 48 more young people in the debate, in particular from his fans.

When I look in the mirror I see perfection, size 0, a celebrity... I have to work really hard to keep it all in control... I overdo it sometimes. When I look in the mirror I see a helpless girl, dying to break free. Anon, Redden Court School

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4. Evaluation 1. Qwizdom/ Participant Evaluation explore the effectiveness of participatory workshops as a vehicle to explore the enquiry, 'What is a healthy body?' and to ascertain participants' opinions and attitudes in terms of body image, exercise, eating and influences The key findings from pupil feedback and material created in sessions highlighted that creative participatory workshops are highly effective in establishing a 'safe' forum for discussing, exploring and debating challenging issues and personal opinion on the topic of healthy body and concerns regarding body image, eating and all of its associations. This is evidenced in the monolgues created, extracts of which are quoted in this document. explore the effectiveness of Qwizdom in a workshop context as a tool to measure and monitor attitudinal change/ development as a direct result of project Qwizdom, alongside creative exercises detailed in the workshop plan, was highly effective in gauging participant opinion on the issues. Feedback from all stakeholders praised the anonymity of Qwizdom as particularly engaging and empowering for individuals to 'speak' honestly. Results show, when asked about the impact of the session, that 40% responded 'Now I … didn’t really think about it much before but will now be more aware of any issues my friends or I might have' and a really positive 6% of participants, for whom some sensitive issues were raise, answered 'Now I … would like to know more about support available'. explore the use of facebook as a continued engagement tool beyond workshops The facebook group was successful in attracting 84 members (at time of print). Few members commented on the 'wall' (a publicly visible forum for discussion) and on the films produced. Feedback from this source was lower than anticipated and mainly peer to peer yet still very positive. See Recommendations section for details of suggestions for future projects.

"Elizabeth Garrett Anderson.. Brilliant workshop :)" Winnie Mac (EGA student) "show our video please classroom one and angleinas story was gd" Tosin Mohammed (London Nautical School Student)

establish a delivery format using theatre and creative learning as a research tool with clear monitoring and evaluation (M&E) opportunities In terms of evaluating this aim participants were fully engaged throughout the sessions deomstrating the strength of the workshop format. Their responses and material created demonstrated clear understanding of the issues presented. The Qwizdom results reinforce the predicted shift in opinion with 35% of participants from the pre workshop survey responding 'Its more important to me to be happy' rising to 49% in the post workshop survey. For details of full Qwizdom statistical breakdown, see appendix 2.

I've only got a 6 pack... I need to get an 8 pack. Anon, London Nautical School

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I wish I could look normal, it's not fair!!!! Anon, EGA School

2. Facebook Interaction Beyond the reach of the workshops participants, their peers and other public were attracted to the facebook group. Of 352 project participants, 36 joined the group, increasing by over 230% following the inclusion of Adam Deacon's film which attracted active membership from a range of sources including general public and his fan base. 84 people have interacted with the subject matter by either joining the group or using the 'Like this' icon to rate films and posting comments.

Real talk, media frenzied young girls with size 0 catwalk models have the worst idea of beauty... its negative then the youth should be encouraged and guided to reject it and look at the bigger picture of universal truth. but fo-real, don't be something you know ur not regardless of peer pressure and short term gains. Bhavin Doshi (Facebook user)

As a testament to the 'safe' space created in the workshop, one individual extended this to the facebook forum to seek further support following the session in her school: Hi im from maria fidelis and im in 8w I wanted to ask if I could to talk to anyone about my body. i want to find out a few things Anne-Marie Dames (Maria Fidelis student)

establish a delivery format using theatre and creative learning as a research tool with clear monitoring and evaluation (M&E) opportunities In terms of retaining participant engagement the use of facebook on this project was not as successful as previous Y Touring projects have been. Although a large number of participants and public have joined the group, their interaction was limited: less than a third of members commented or responded to discussion boards and no films were submitted by participants outside of the sessions despite the film being an integral element of the follow up lesson. See Recommendations section for more information.

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3. Teacher Evaluation Forms explore the effectiveness of participatory workshops as a vehicle to explore the enquiry, 'What is a healthy body?' and to ascertain participants' opinions and attitudes in terms of body image, exercise, eating and influences The key findings from teacher feedback, both in sessions and from the evaluation form, highlighted that the 'Speak Out on Bodies' workshops were highly effective in establishing a safe space to engage pupils to explore and debate the issues surrounding body image in way which was socially, culturally and educationally relevant and impactful. Children thoroughly enjoyed it and it gave them an opportunity to discuss â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;uncomfortableâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; topics in a safe environment Priya Fadnis (Argyle Primary School) I thought the workshop provided and excellent opportunity for KS3 pupils to reflect on the pressures put on them by society to confirm to a certain body image. The range of activities was good and I felt students engaged with the content of the programme. Juliette Henry (EGA) explore the effectiveness of Qwizdom in a workshop context as a tool to measure and monitor attitudinal change/ development as a direct result of project Qwizdom generated much excitement and intrigue from staff and students alike. 90% of teachers' feedback in sessions commonly used terms like 'empowering' and 'ownership of opinion' in reference to the relevance of Qwizdom in the context of the workshop. There was much focus on the positives of anonymous personal opinion. Pupils really enjoyed the workshop and said they enjoyed the voting system as it is private and everyone gets a say. Would love to have the system for PSHE lessons in school. Carol Gamble (Maria Fidelis) explore the use of facebook as a continued engagement tool beyond workshops Of all the schools, there was little evaluated response from staff regarding the use of facebook. Although the general consensus across the board was that, as a resource for continued engagement and learning, it is more appealing and contemporary than written materials. I think using sources which are very accessible to the students, such as facebook is a very good idea, as they are more likely to take an interest than reading leaflets or books. Sejal Patel (Maria Fidelis)

I hate my body image. I have stretch marks everywhere on my sides, hips, legs and more. There's just nothing I can do. Anon, Maria Fidelis School

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establish a delivery format using theatre and creative learning as a research tool with clear monitoring and evaluation (M&E) opportunities Format On the whole the package and delivery format was agreeable to teachers as evidenced on the returned Teacher Evaluation Forms (see appendix 5 for collated version). There was a mixed reaction to the length of session, with the majority opting for the shortened 2 hour format. However, following sessions a third of teachers expressed an interest in longer sessions ranging from a day to a week residency. While only 10% of teachers expressed a preference for a shorter session. This may be worth consideration for the future. Teachers also scored the workshop highly in terms of engaging and keeping the students' attention with 100% of feedback between 1-2 on a scale of 1-5 in gauging 'how attentive you think the students were during the session?' The students were very engaged and enjoyed every aspect of the workshop... the play scenarios were the most effective in gaining their attention and allowing them to express themselves. Sejal Patel (Maria Fidelis)

Resources As with other Y Touring projects there was very low uptake on the use of the preparatory and follow-up lessons, with only 20% of schools using the preparatory resources. The lack of films uploaded to facebook suggests that follow-up lessons were not used. The main reason teachers stated for this was a lack of space in the timetable. This should be explored for future projects. Teachers were however very responsive to the business cards as a signposting and support resource for students.

Costing General feedback from sessions stated that teachers were grateful to receive the workshops at no cost to them and valued the project being offered as a free resource: It is greatly valued by staff and pupils... It is important to us that this type of event is free as we do not have the resources to pay... Many Thanks. An excellent experience for pupils. Carol Gamble (Maria Fidelis)

Carol went on to explain the limits of departmental budgets which evidences the need for schools to be supported or subsidized to access this provision.

Facilitators The evaluation returned really positive feedback for the facilitators and in sessions teaching staff verbally expressed their gratitude at the inclusivity and accessibility of the facilitators' approach, in particular when working with such sensitive material. The two facilitators worked very well as a team. Positive, nurturing approach. Highly organised. Smooth running. Respectful of individual needs. Inclusive of all students' needs. Good, effective pace. Interesting, stimulating content. Very good range of activities i.e.; practical, writing, small groups, whole group. Judith Black (Acland Burghley)

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Advocacy Over 90% of teachers expressed how vital they felt this workshop is in the current climate, many reporting increased body image issues and eating disorders within their school. Both teachers and students alike were keen to take the body image message further, beyond the reach of the sessions. Peer led polls, lobbying or campaigns within the school may be a rich source of quantitative data for the future.

The company appears to be very successful in gaining the opinions of students in particular concerning issues which need to be addressed by the government, hopefully the information collected will make a change and motivate action. Sejal Patel (Maria Fidelis)

When I look in the mirror I have to close my eyes I see a frail girl looking back at me. Secretly I'm in the bathroom forcing out my dinner. I'm starting to see my ribs and the thought of food makes me want to vomit. What have you done to yourself skinny and all boney, you should be your old self happy and carefree... it still hurts but its not your fault. Anon, Acland Burghley School

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4. Facilitator Evaluation Forms explore the effectiveness of participatory workshops as a vehicle to explore the enquiry, 'What is a healthy body?' and to ascertain participants' opinions and attitudes in terms of body image, exercise, eating and influences On the whole the participants were fully engaged with the material and were active in all of the activities: the debate, word association, improvisation and monologues were the most effective in holding their attention and formulating mature and considered responses. The ideas the groups shared, concepts explored and scenes created were rich in material, which sadly was difficult to document. Although the end products were filmed, the sculpting and tableau exercises in particular, where images were created, were so indicative of youth opinion and media influence. We should look to capture these details in future workshops. How this material is documentated without compromising the safe creative environment needs some consideration.

explore the effectiveness of Qwizdom in a workshop context as a tool to measure and monitor attitudinal change/ development as a direct result of project Qwizdom provided a really useful tool to begin debate within the session and to introduce the themes of the session in an appealing and accessible way. It also gave a balance to the workshop in terms of activity and stillness and individual and group responses. Logistically, the transportation of the technical equipment was a challenge, yet with careful programming in the future this could be easily overcome.

establish a delivery format using theatre and creative learning as a research tool with clear monitoring and evaluation (M&E) opportunities In order to monitor student responses with a view to generating advocacy statistics, the session content would need to be documented clearly, as detailed above. The workshop plan would also benefit from refinement for future projects to diversify the responses from participants. Comfort eating and anorexia/ bulimia were two key themes repeated across all of the sessions: it would be interesting to see whether this repeats following a reworking of the session plan. These themes occurred regularly regardless of gender or cultural background. However, in both the monologue and improvisation exercises where students were given freedom of choice to create characters, male characters commonly experienced issues with comfort and overeating whereas a third of female characters demonstrated issues with overeating issues and the majority experiencing eating disorders and extreme body dissatisfaction.

I used to be healthy. I'm a coward running away by using food. Anon, London Nautical School

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I want to be like everyone else. Anon, Maria Fidelis School

5. Conclusion With 100% of teachers stating that 'the workshop facilitated student participation to a great extent', we can deduce that overall 'Speak Out on Bodies' was a success. With a little refinement of the teachers' evaluation methodology to best fit the needs of the evaluative report and careful selection of the most impactful debate questions, ‘Speak Out on Bodies’ would be ready to roll out across a larger target market. The pilot was highly effective in engaging groups in debate and exploration of issues surrounding body image and defining 'what is a healthy body'. Now that the format, educational resources and administration are established, some minor adjustments will only serve to strengthen the model for local, regional or national delivery. By revisiting the initial outline for ‘Speak Out on Bodies’, it is clear that, other than the unpredicted reduction in participant numbers, key aims and objectives of the project have been met effectively. See Recommendations for further details. For concise and effective reporting, the Teacher Evaluation Forms would benefit from being revisited and developed alongside the aims of the project to ensure clear evaluation. Exploration of alternative evaluation methods for teachers, as common across many Y Touring projects, would ensure a higher yield of forms being returned following projects.

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6. Recommendations Qwizdom Further exploration of the use of Qwizdom as an evaluative tool, potentially to incorporate teacher's responses may be beneficial. Careful programming and/ or greater budgetary allocation to ensure that the technical equipment can be efficiently transported between venues is needed, as this was rather time hungry. Facebook Consideration of incentive based activities to increase participation and use of facebook as a engagement tool. Proven results from previous Y Touring productions have included competitions, prizes etc. Potentially film awards may encourage greater interaction. Educational Resources With only 10% of schools using the preparatory materials and none of the 9 schools having used the follow-up lessons, there needs to be some serious consideration as to how we market these products to maximise their use. Redeveloping the resources into a digital or online resource is also worth exploration. Logistics and Monitoring To prevent last minute cancellations in the future a deposit based booking system is worth exploring. This may include setting parameters for maximum and minimum group size and deposit returned upon completion of evaluation. On reflection the target number of participants was over estimated at 600-800 with only 352 being achieved, however the specified group sizes of 30-40 may prove challenging to deliver with such sensitive material. Far stronger results and understanding was achieved with smaller groups between 20-30 participants. For future projects, it would be advisable to avoid the summer term of the academic year. Although this project was delivered early in the term, the impending exam period was a problematic and recurring issue for many schools in terms of bookings, co-ordinating timetables and teaching staff. Evaluation and Documentation Exploration of non intrusive methods of documenting the physical responses from workshops is worth consideration. Potentially fly on the wall filming or a scribe, could be options for further research.

I'm bigger than everybody else. I wonder if theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d still like me without the muscles? Anon, London Nautical School

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7. Appendices 1. Project Delivery Timetable Week 1

School

Timings

Week 2

School

Mon 20th April

Mon 27th April AVAILABLE

Tues 21st April

Tues 28th April AVAILABLE

City + Islington Wed 22nd April Goswell Road EC1V 7LA St Davids College (P) Thurs 23rd April Beckenham Rd W.Wickham Argyle Sch (P) Fri 24th April Tonbridge St WC1H 9EG Week 3

BANK HOLIDAY

* / 2-4

Thurs 30th April AVAILABLE

tbc / 1-3

Fri 1st May

Camden Girls Sandall Road NW5 2DB EGA School Wed 6th May Donegal Street N1 9QG Camden Girls Thurs 7th May Sandall Road NW5 2DB Fri 8th May

Redden Court Harold Wood, Essex RM3 OTS Maria Fidelis Tues 12th May North Gower St NW1 2HR City + Islington Wed 13th May Goswell Road EC1V 7LA Maria Fidelis Thurs 14th May North Gower St NW1 2HR Acland Burghley Fri 15th May Burghley Road NW5 1AJ

9-11.45/ 12-3 CANCELLED /

Qwizdom questions and analysis

PRE workshop Are you happy with the way you look? A. I don’t really think about it B. Yes, I wouldn’t change anything C. Yes, overall I’m ok but I’d like to improve a few things D. I don’t really like how I look, but I’m not doing anything to change it E. No, I would go to any lengths to change it Q1

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

2 2 4 4 2 5 7 -5 1 4

1 -7 7 --14 1 4 2 5

17 18 18 13 6 5 9 18 8 20 20

1 1 -2 2 1 3 4 2 1 --

1 1 1 1 2 -2 3 2 2 --

152

CANCELLED / 9.10-12 / 1-3.20

Timings

Mon 11th May

CANCELLED

AVAILABLE

London Nautical Stamford Street SE1 9NA

Week 4

***

Tues 5th May

City + Islington Wed 29th April Goswell Road EC1V 7LA

CANCELLED

Timings

Mon 4th May

Timings

261

9.30-12.20/ * 8.30-10.30/ 11-1 CANCELLED 8.30-10.30/ 11-1 9-11/ 11.15-1.15

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What influences how you see yourself? A. Nothing and no-one B. Family and friends C. Someone I fancy D. Celebrities and The media E. My cultural background F. Various things but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not exactly sure what they are Q2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

4 4 5 3 3 2 3 2 3 2 5

8 6 10 13 5 4 23 11 9 17 10

2 1 4 4 -3 5 1 2 -2

3 3 2 2 1 -2 -3 1 --

2 2 -2 --2 --2 2

3 6 9 3 3 3 -11 2 4 11

116

260

14%

45%

21%

100%

Its more important to me to be: A. slim B. fit C. happy D. healthy E. attractive F. liked

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

3 4 --1 --2 --5

2 -4 4 -3 3 3 3 1 1

11 11 13 13 4 7 9 4 7 11 2

2 5 1 5 3 -7 16 2 9 11

4 1 8 3 2 1 7 -6 2 6

-2 4 2 2 1 9 1 2 6 1

262

35%

23%

15%

11%

100%

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I exercise: A. because I have to, if I don't I'll get fat B. because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fun and I love doing it C. because I want to look good D. to be healthy E. because it clears my head and makes me feel good F. ... I don't exercise, I can't be bothered its for fit people and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not fit Q4

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4

2 3 2 2 --4 3 3 1 --

3 4 10 8 3 2 8 4 7 4 10

8 7 5 10 4 2 10 3 1 6 1

5 7 7 5 2 2 7 9 5 6 13

2 1 1 4 1 6 3 -5 5 3

3 -2 1 2 -3 2 5 4 2

263

24%

22%

26%

12%

100%

I eat: A. B. C. D. E. F.

all day, I can't stop- I think about food all the time a healthy diet with occasional treats as much as possible to gain weight and/or muscle low fat or diet foods or as little as possible to lose weight fast 3 times a day- I don't really think about it to make myself feel better, especially if I'm feeling low

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

7 11 10 6 1 1 12 4 7 6 1

4 4 6 10 5 1 8 5 3 7 11

-1 5 5 -4 4 --2 2

1 2 -1 1 -4 1 1 2 --

6 5 6 5 2 4 3 9 10 8 14

4 -3 -3 2 2 7 -2 1

262

25%

24%

27%

100%

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POST workshop Its more important to me to be: A. slim B. fit C. happy D. healthy E. attractive F. liked Q1

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

1 --2 1 5 ---

--5 1 1 2 4 --

17 21 15 5 9 3 7 18

2 2 4 4 1 13 14 4

1 5 2 2 -10 -4

1 1 1 -2 2 -2

194

49%

23%

12%

100%

Now I … A. Haven’t changed at all how I think about body image B. Realise there are all sorts of pressures around to be aware of C. Didn’t really think about it much before but will now be more aware of any issues my friends or I might have D. Would like to know more about support available Q2

2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

8 16 10 10 5 17 3 7

6 4 3 --12 1 3

6 7 13 2 9 5 18 17

2 2 1 1 -1 4 1

194

39%

15%

40%

100%

3. Workshop Plan Pre workshop Qwizdom questions

(15 mins)

Icebreaker / Warm ups (15 mins)  30 sec handshake with name + (what you most like and dislike about yourself)  Shake out  Body facts: Name and scar/ broken limbs/  Celebrity who you associate with the words 'body image'

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What do I feel (10 mins) Word Association, with words first, then physical image and emotional response Eating Disorder

Obese

Cosmetic Surgery

Exercise

Size Zero

Diet

What does it mean (10 mins) Find a partner, and find out : 1. their name 2. if they could change one part of their body what part would they change? (and for secondary schools - whether they would like to have cosmetic surgery) 3. their favourite celebrity and why. Feed back to the group A introduces B and shares the answers that B has given and vice versa Value Continuum with facilitated debate see attached VC questions

(15 mins)

Where does it come from In pairs (nominate A and B): A is the sculptor and B is the 'clay'

(10 mins)

15 min BREAK for 2.5 Hour session

Sculpt your response to the stimulus, if appropriate as the sculpture what emotions s/he 'feels'  The perfect body  How the media tells us we should look  How girls want boys to look/ How boys want girls to look (interesting to explore in single sex schools) Improvisation scenarios (25 mins) In small groups of 4-6. Ryan has just discovered his twin brother is using steroids in the gym... (for secondary schools only) 1. Susie’s mother is really obese and hasn’t left the house in two years (for secondary schools only) 2. Since his granddad died, Tariq can’t stop eating. 3. Keisha thinks her friend has an eating problem... 4. Sara's mum is always on a diet and tries to control what she eats... 5. Ash is being teased by his mates about being fat, so Ash goes to talk to his GP... 6. Chanelle is 5'10" and all the girls in her class 'say' they weigh less than 9 stone... 7. Ama is the most popular girl in her class, she goes back to Nigeria, her family are worried she is too thin and ill 8. Sharon creates a profile for herself on a dating website she has photoshopped her picture and lied about her size Feed back to the group Monologue (20 mins) Create a new character or using character from improvisations. Build up a character profile thinking about lifestyle and back-story. This character has some issues or pressures surrounding their body and/ or body image. Write a short monologue in the voice of the character as if they are looking at themselves in the mirror Feed back to the group respecting sensitivities and personal choice. Option to film these monologues for facebook group if desired. Post workshop Qwizdom questions Distribute business cards

(10 mins)

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4. Value Continuum Questions Primary Schools 1. Attractive people are more popular 2. Only girls worry about how they look 3. Magazines and TV programmes show people how they should look 4. Miley Cyrus was right to say "it’s not too early to start dieting to keep in shape" at aged 13. 5. It is right my family choose what I eat until I’m older 6. Dieting is a really good thing to do 7. Exercise is fun and good for you 8. Not everyone thinks "thin" is cool 9. It’s okay to take tablets if they help you to look better 10. Some people from other parts of the world don't worry about their bodies the way we do in England 11. It is good that magazines give away free make-up to girls as young as 8 12. It is better to be a little bit tubby and to be happy than to be skinny and miserable 13. People can make themselves ill by dieting or doing too much exercise 14. If I thought one of my friends had a problem (eating too little or exercising too much), I would talk to someone about it. 15. It is better to be healthy than to be attractive

Secondary Schools + Adult Groups 1. There is something wrong with me that, with effort, exercise, cash and vigilance, I can repair. 2. Slim people are so smug, they just swan around being full of themselves! 3. Your body is your canvas to be fixed, remade and enhanced. 4. My body, the way it looks and how I feel about it is down to me. 5. Cosmetic surgery is now something to be proud of rather than to hide. 6. Our society is so often looking for a quick fix. 7. Dieting is stupid. 8. The thing about dieting is, if it worked, you would only have to do it once. 9. Airbrushing is the new reality (we must accept it) 10. Fatness is a disease/illness 11. According to BMI (Body Mass Index) Brad Pitt and George Bush are overweight and George Clooney and Russell Crowe are obese, is this the clearest indicator? 12. Fat people are outsiders who should not only dislike themselves but be discriminated against 13. 'Thin' has become the gold standard for 'health' 14. Girls don't only seek recognition from boys. 15. Body dissatisfaction is the West's greatest export to developing nations 16. Distorted body image is the domain of young white western women 17. The sport and fitness industry only make the issue of body obsession worse. 18. We make the issue worse for ourselves, if we didn't buy the magazines then we wouldn't be exposed to these images of perfection.

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5. Teacher Evaluation Form

Date of Workshop:

12th/14th May 2009 (Maria Fidelis) 24th April 2009 (Argyle Primary School) 6th May2009 (Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School) 15th May 2009 (Acland Burghley School)

Venue: Name of person filling in this questionnaire: Position and Dept: Approximately how many students attended the workshop? ……………. 120 Carol Gamble (Maria Fidelis) 40 Priya Fadnis (Argyle) 60 Juliette Henry (EGA) 36 Judith Black (Acland Burghley) (60) Nautical (20) St Davids (16) Redden Court 352 Please circle which year groups were present?

8+ 9 Carol Gamble (Maria Fidelis) 6 Priya Fadnis (Argyle) 8 Juliette Henry (EGA) 8 +9 Judith Black (Acland Burghley) Please list staff members present for the workshop: Name of Staff Member Position / Department Carol Gamble (Maria Fidelis) Sejal Patel (Maria Fidelis) Clair Dawkins (Maria Fidelis) Priya Fadnis (Argyle) Julie Dent (Argyle) Juliette Henry (EGA) Paul McIntyre (EGA) Judith Black (Acland Burghley) Batsy Grunsery (Acland Burghley)

Head of Science PGCE Placement Student English Teacher Year 6 Teacher Year 6 Teacher PSHE/ Careers Co-ordinator Head of Drama Learning Support Unit Manager and Extended Schools Coordinator Cover Supervisor

Which sections of Bodies were you present for?  the entire workshop Juliette Henry (EGA) Judith Black (Acland Burghley)

 only part of the workshop Carol Gamble (Maria Fidelis) Priya Fadnis (Argyle)

 workshop

none of the

SPEAK OUT ON BODIES Y Touring

If you saw the workshop, please indicate below, on a scale of 1 to 5, how attentive you think the students were during the session. Extremely attentive 1 2

Juliette Henry (EGA Carol Gamble (Maria Judith Black (Acland Fidelis) Burghley)) Priya Fadnis (Argyle)

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Not at all attentive 5

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Please indicate below to what extent the format of the workshop facilitated student participation. To a great extent 1

Carol Gamble (Maria  Fidelis) Sejal Patel (MF) Priya Fadnis (Argyle) Juliette Henry (EGA) Judith Black (Acland Burghley)



4 

Not at all 5 

Please give your views and comments on the workshop. The students were very engaged and enjoyed every aspect of the workshop. It was very interesting to hear their monologues and their different views. The play scenarios were the most effective in gaining their attention and allowing them to express themselves. Sejal Patel (Maria Fidelis) Pupils really enjoyed the workshop and said they enjoyed the voting system as it is private and everyone gets a say. Would love to have the system for PSHE lessons in school. Carol Gamble (Maria Fidelis) Children thoroughly enjoyed it and it gave them an opportunity to discuss ‘uncomfortable’ topics in a safe environment Priya Fadnis (Argyle) I think the students found the workshop interesting and had a wide range of views on the topic Juliette Henry (EGA) The two facilitators worked very well as a team. Positive, nurturing approach. Highly organised. Smooth running. Respectful of individual needs. Inclusive of all students' needs. Good, effective pace. Interesting, stimulating content. Very good range of activities i.e.; practical, writing, small groups, whole group. Judith Black (Acland Burghley) Is there anything you would change about the workshop? No Sejal Patel (Maria Fidelis) Would like to have the 2.5 hour session but our timetable does not easily permit this which is a shame Carol Gamble (Maria Fidelis) No- it was good Priya Fadnis (Argyle) Perhaps a little shorter in length Juliette Henry (EGA)

No Judith Black (Acland Burghley)

SPEAK OUT ON BODIES Y Touring

How did you first hear about the opportunity to host Bodies?



from a mailing sent by the Y Touring Theatre company directly to me Carol Gamble (Maria Fidelis) Judith Black (Acland Burghley)

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from a mailing sent by The Y Touring Theatre company and passed on to me Priya Fadnis (Argyle)

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from information provided by another member of staff Juliette Henry (EGA)

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from an internal memorandum

other (please specify) : ____________________________________ Approximately how far in advance did you book the session? Months ………………. 2/3 months Carol Gamble (Maria Fidelis) 2 months Judith Black (Acland Burghley)

Weeks………………. 3 weeks Priya Fadnis (Argyle) 4 weeks? Juliette Henry (EGA)

Was the information provided by Y Touring sufficient for your needs? Yes  Carol Gamble (Maria Fidelis) Judith Black (Acland Burghley) Juliette Henry (EGA)



If no, how could it be improved? Not clear on the permission form if the boxes on the left were to be ticked. Pupils were confused by this Carol Gamble (Maria Fidelis)

Have you and your students seen a Y Touring production or hosted a workshop before? Yes  Carol Gamble (Maria Fidelis)

No  Juliette Henry (EGA) Judith Black (Acland Burghley)

If yes, how would you compare the publicity and other preparation for the project this time to the previous occasion(s)? 

better

 about the same  Carol Gamble (Maria Fidelis)

not as good

Please explain. This is our first workshop with Y Touring Judith Black (Acland Burghley) Easily recognisable as being from Y Touring. Format and procedures similar to before. Carol Gamble (Maria Fidelis)

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1. Were you able to do any preparatory work provided by Y Touring with your students in advance of the workshop? Yes  Judith Black (Acland Burghley)

No  Carol Gamble (Maria Fidelis) Priya Fadnis (Argyle)- as its SATs time Juliette Henry (EGA)- however year 8 have been studying mental health and eating disorders in PSHE lessons this term.

2. If yes, how would you rate the preparatory lesson? Very Useful 1

Not at all useful 2

Judith Black  (Acland Burghley)



3. Do you plan to/ have you undertaken, any of the Y Touring follow up activities with your students to after this production? Carol Gamble

Yes  (Maria Fidelis)

No  Priya Fadnis (Argyle) - perhaps time allowing Judith Black (Acland Burghley)not yet

4. If you have already used the follow-up activities, how would you rate them? Very Useful 1 



Not at all useful 5 

5. Please give your views and comments on the education resources. I think using sources which are very accessible to t he students, such as facebook is a very good idea, as they are more likely to take an interest than reading leaflets or books. Sejal Patel (Maria Fidelis) Good supportive and accessible Priya Fadnis (Argyle) They were informative and comprehensive and will help to develop PSHE lessons on this topic for the future. Astra Peters (St David's College) 6. Please give your impressions of the company. The company appears to be very successful in gaining the opinions of students in particular concerning issues which need to be addressed by the government, like eating disorders, hopefully the information collected will make a change and motivate action. Sejal Patel (Maria Fidelis) Excellent as ever. Very competent and great with pupils. Also very relevant topics covered. Carol Gamble (Maria Fidelis) Useful, Relevant- Energetic Priya Fadnis (Argyle)

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Excellent Juliette Henry (EGA) Well organised, experienced and confident. Energetic, thoughtful, skilful in their interaction with young people. Appropriate to the needs of our diverse students. Judith Black (Acland Burghley) I felt that the company fulfil a very urgent need for young people who have diminished selfesteem and who need to be shown that it is good to be an individual no matter what our bodies are like. Astra Peters (St David's College) Please provide any additional comments you may have about any aspect of the Bodies project. It is greatly valued by staff and pupils. They all gave very positive feedback. It is important to us that this type of event is free as we do not have the resources to pay. We are always delighted to have Y Touring and if possible, if another school drops out, we can try to facilitate the groups/ workshops. Many Thanks. An excellent experience for pupils. Carol Gamble (Maria Fidelis) I thought the workshop provided and excellent opportunity for KS3 pupils to reflect on the pressures put on them by society to confirm to a certain body image. The range of activities was good and I felt students engaged with the content of the programme. Juliette Henry (EGA) Please do come back. We really value the opportunity you offered our students today. All the students, in the two sessions, were totally engaged and responsive. Their behaviour was settled and calm, which indicates clearly how involved they were. A very positive, important experience for our year 9 (and 8) students. Many thanks for all your hard work. Judith Black (Acland Burghley) 6. Business card images

SPEAK OUT ON BODIES Y Touring

7. Facebook comments Samanfa Gray haha samee here lol i got curves.. cant stand people who thinnk there better than youu and its all about looks! i can relate to wot uv just said alot! lol real talk adam! :) XxXxXx Nerryssa Ward Im rockin the curves i dont do skinny bones xXx Bhavin Doshi Real talk, media frenzied young girls with size 0 catwalk models have the worst idea of beauty. Juicy curves beat skinny bones any day as 9/10 guys will tell u. Main emphasis of being 'u' tho is questionable as 'u' for a lot of people is their role model or label at that time and if its negative then the youth should be encouraged and guided to ...reject it and look at the bigger picture of universal truth. but fo-real, don't be something you know ur not regardless of peer pressure and short term gains Discussion board: Attractive people are more popular? Louise Inniss (Maria Fidelis Convent School) I agree and disagree. The reason why I agree, is because people will mostly go up to a nice looking person and make friends, hence them being more popular. Whereas if you were standing between a butt ugly person and a pretty person, you would expect more people to go up to the pretty person, because that pretty person is more interesting and attracts people. However, If you get a generally nice person, they don't care who they make friends with as long as they're nice, whether they be butt ugly or really beautiful. But you don't often come across people like that. So yeah I think that attractive people are more popular in some cases. Anne-Marie Dames (Maria Fidelis Convent School) at 7:46pm on May 13th, 2009 Hi im from maria fidelis and im in 8w I wanted to ask if I could to talk to anyone about my body. i want to find out a few things

Delivered by: Y Touring Supported by: Central YMCA

Y Touring Theatre Company, an â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;activity for healthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; operation of Central YMCA. Registered Charity No. 213121 Registered in England No. 119249 Registered Office: 112 Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3NQ.