The Feltham Lenten Project #1 – Holy Week (Monday)

The start was nervously anticipated: how it begins, who chooses to participate, and how they react to us, are crucial elements to the overall success of any project working with young offenders.

This time, the Ten Ten project was being run by three people: Martin (who has being working in young offender institutions for a number of years with Ten Ten), Sarah (who has long had a passion for work with offenders and ex-offenders, and had done occasional prison work in the past), and Jimena (first time working in this environment).  The fourth member of the team – our “man on the inside” – was Father Roger Reader, Catholic chaplain in Feltham prison and long-term collaborator of Ten Ten Theatre.

It started well.  In fact, it started with Mass for Ash Wednesday. There were over 40 young offenders attending Mass. In a prison population of 800 from all religions and none, that’s about 5%.  Is that a better rate than the average workplace!?

After the service, most boys went back to their cells and we were left with a core of 10 who would become our “group”.  Each of these lads was aged between 16 and 21.  Even now, we don’t know what crimes were committed by these boys – certain clues were given through conversation but it wasn’t appropriate to as, and by the end of the project we related to them as people not criminals, so our curiosity in their crimes faded over time.  However, given that some of them were facing lengthy sentences, it would be safe to assume that the crimes committed were some of the most serious and harmful.

Martin began with an introduction to the project, then all three leaders led a series of exercises – call them icebreakers, call them warm-ups – which tested the engagement of the group and their willingness to take part.  The group scored highly on both counts.

In fact, when Martin asked the group how they felt about acting… reading… miming… (gulp) dancing…. (GULP) singing… there were some guffaws, some murmurings of embarrassment and ridicule, but not to the extent that we sensed the project would fail.  There was most definitely potential for development here.

Perhaps even more encouraging was their desire to engage with self-reflection and prayer.

Martin describes:

“To introduce the idea of the Stations of the Cross, I placed on the floor of the chapel images from the 14 Stations – for example, Veronica wiping the face of Jesus, or Jesus falling for the second time.  I asked the group to walk  around the chapel in silence contemplating how they personally felt about each image.  After a couple of minutes of this, I then asked them to stand by the image which they felt most drawn to.  I was pleased to see the lads position themselves across the room near different images.  They weren’t following the crowd, they were taking it very seriously. One by one, they shared why they chose their particular Station of the Cross.

“Two lads chose the Fourth Station: Jesus Meets His Mother.  One of them said it was because his mother died when he was four and it made him think about her.  Another chose the Fifth Station: Simon Helps Jesus Carry His Cross.  It reminded him of times when so-called “friends” had let him down.  Another chose the Ninth Station: Jesus Falls for the Third Time.  It brought to mind the many times he had failed.  For each of them, they were responding personally, fusing their own hearts and minds with Christ’s suffering and developing an affinity with the person of Jesus and the people who encountered him on his final steps.

Jimena continues:

“At the end of the session, we gave each of the participants an image of Jesus to hang on their cells.  Their “homework” was to spend a couple of minutes each day simply gazing at the face of Jesus.  Some couldn’t believe how “easy” their homework was!

“As I was handing out images, I called one of the lads who was about to leave without an image; he turned around, looked at me with a cheeky smile and said: “Miss, you know my name!” I giggled and said: “I do”. He took the image and left, and I was left there stunned.

“What I loved about that moment wasn’t the fact that I remembered his name but that this lad, having been called by his name, left the room looking attentively at the image of Jesus. I knew then what that moment was, a reminder of Jesus’ love for us:

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour” (Isaiah 43:1-3).

“I have no clue what the rest of the day looked like for this young man, but I just prayed he could somehow feel the love of Jesus in his heart even in the moments of darkness. I was deeply moved by this moment and I will be forever grateful for his gratitude in my remembering his name.”

Sex and Relationship Education in Catholic schools

Martin O’Brien wrote the following article which appeared in The Universe newspaper over the weekend of 8/9 December 2012.

Educating children and young people with a sound understanding of Church teaching on relationships, sexual morality, love, marriage and family life remains one of the most challenging issues for any Catholic school.  Problems arise:  How we do we speak to children in their own language and culture but avoid reinforcing it?  Beyond the rules and regulations, what exactly is the Church teaching?  How am I supposed to teach it if my own life and values don’t live up to the ideal?

It was within this environment six years ago that Ten Ten Theatre – an award-winning Catholic theatre company – began devising, writing and producing a programme of Catholic Sex and Relationship Education which has now been established in hundreds of primary schools, secondary schools and parishes throughout the UK.

We take our inspiration from Blessed John Paul II’s teaching known as The Theology of the Body.  It has been our task over the last few years to identify some of the core values of the teaching and write accessible, contemporary stories to explore these ideas.  Karol Wojtyla himself was a keen actor and dramatist who believed passionately in the power of story and character to examine the human person.  At Ten Ten we aim to do the same, encouraging our children and young people to reflect on their own lives and experiences in order to understand more deeply their Call to Love.

So, for example, the play “Chased” for the 13-14 age group follows the story of Scott and Carly who are so confused by the world they inhabit – pressure from friends, influence of the media, physical development – that they almost lose sight of their core dignity.  And yet through the story they begin to understand the deepest longings of the heart: to be honourable, to be cherished, to be loved and to love as Christ loves.  By taking the characters on this journey, and following it up with discussion, sharing, reflection and prayer, the young people understand what it means to be “in” the world but not “of” the world.

What about primary school children?  How can we promote these values without corrupting children with sexual imagery and inappropriate information?

One example is “The Gift”, a lovely play for 7-9 year-olds.  It tells the story of twins Harry and Kate who learn about the preciousness of gifts: Kate’s treasured musical box, given to her by her Auntie who passed away, is accidentally smashed to pieces by Harry.  Harry doesn’t understand why Kate is so upset. “After all,” he says, “you can get another one from the pound shop… for a pound!” Through the story, both Harry and Kate (and the children watching) learn about the true value of gifts, what it means to make a gift of yourself and the importance of forgiveness.  These are precisely the same values we promote through the play “Chased” but at an age-appropriate level.   In the follow-up workshop to “The Gift”, the actors ask the children to think more deeply about the best gift they have ever been given, who gave it to them and why is it so special.  Sometimes the responses are material: Playstations and puppies are always very popular.  Other responses tell of something deeper: my life or my baby brother.  However, a few weeks ago at a school in Merseyside, one particular response really touched us.

“What’s the best gift you’ve ever received?” we asked.   “My mum,” said the boy.   “And why is she so special?”   “Because she adopted me and without her I wouldn’t have been brought up happy,” said the boy.   The boy’s mother, in fact, also taught at the school.  Later that day, when she was told what her adopted son had said, she crumbled into tears.    I can understand why.  This woman has likely given her entire life as a gift to the boy, making a decision to love him, protect him and care for him with all of her heart.  Surely this is one of the greatest gifts that a person could choose to give.  And yet it is a gift that people throughout the world make moment after moment, day after day.  Now, as a result of the visit of Ten Ten, this particular mother knew that her seven-year-old adopted son valued and appreciated the great sacrifice she has made.

Ten Ten Theatre run an 11-year programme in Catholic Relationship Education for primary schools, secondary schools and parishes.  Sessions for parents are included as part of the visit to all primary schools.

Interview with Laura Alligan

Laura Alligan will play Monika Symanski in Healthy Heart  at the The Leicester Square Theatre on Saturday 24 November.  She has been playing the role on tour since April 2012.  Here, she gives an interview with Ten Ten Theatre about the experience.

So – the Ten Ten primary schools’ tour – how has it been so far?

This tour has been the most rewarding tour I have done. It has challenged me as an actor and I have learnt so much.

What do you think the children get from “Healthy Heart”?

The children get to watch the journey of a character close to their age who is going through difficulties related to change. Year 5 and 6 are coming to the end of their primary school career and are about to face their own changes. Through Healthy Heart they recognise where Monika’s heart is emotionally unhealthy and they identify what she can do to improve her heart. They leave knowing what it means to have dignity and that it is important to believe in yourself.

You do a session for a parents every day.  Can you share a memorable experience?

There are lots of memorable parents sessions. You take a group of parents who don’t know what to expect and show them stories with a positive message and it really provokes discussion. It’s amazing how many families have had a grandparent move in with them and relate to the storyline of Healthy Heart. Recently a mother said,’I never had that discussion with my child before my mother moved in and she found it very difficult to deal with the change in home life.’

What’s the worst bit about the job?

I don’t mind the early mornings, I am a morning person. I don’t mind carrying all the equipment in and out each day, it is great exercise. I enjoy the traveling and seeing the country. I think the worst thing for me is the constant use of peas and sweetcorn in school dinners :p.

And the best?

Getting to perform everyday, work that is challenging for both me and the audience.

Has working for Ten Ten impacted on your own faith journey in any way?

It has had an effect. In the past I have been guilty of being a Sunday Christian, letting my life take over during the week and rushing around. This tour has allowed me to devote some time to God everyday. Also the time I have spent with Miriam has inspired me. She has allowed me to realise God’s hand is in everything and she has given me the opportunity to freely discuss Him where I have felt shy and struggled to do so in the past.

What’s next for you?

I’m not sure. I would like to move away from schools tours. This has been my 5th schools tour in this country, as well as Germany and France. This tour has been the most rewarding so I would like to finish on a high. I pray that I will be able to constantly work as an actor. My only definite plan is that I am joining Ten Ten on their confirmation retreat days in 2013.

To book tickets for Healthy Heart visit: http://www.tententheatre.co.uk/whatson/healthyheart.html