Feltham Lenten Project: Blog 1 “The angels looked after him”

The entrance to HMP Young Offenders Institution, Feltham.

This week I started a new project at HMP Feltham Young Offenders Institution, writes Martin O’Brien.

It’s a different type of project for me and for Ten Ten.  Although we’ve done quite a lot of work in prisons over the past  two years, particularly at Feltham under the watchful eye of prison chaplain Fr Roger, this particular project presents a couple of fundamental differences:

1. It takes place over six consecutive weeks (as opposed to five consecutive days)
2. It started on Ash Wednesday and will continue throughout Lent

These two factors provide new opportunities and challenges.

I was meant to be going in with two other actors / facilitators – Ray and Liz – but owing to the drawn out security procedures, their clearance did not come through on time so it was just left to me to lead the session.  To be honest, I felt a bit naked going in there without the backup of a couple of talented actors who could wow the lads with a dramatic scene or two – all I had was a couple of warm-up games and a big idea to share.  More of that in a minute.

Normally at Feltham I work with lads drawn from different faith backgrounds, but for this project I was just working with the Catholic lads.  So Wednesday’s session was shorter than normal because it started with Mass; it was of course Ash Wednesday.

I’m often struck by the respect that lads in prison have for church and the Eucharist.  I never forget three years ago when I went to Feltham and joined a group of half a dozen young offenders sat together and praying the rosary.  On Wednesday, about 50 young offenders were brought to the Catholic chapel for Mass.  There was solemnity, respect, focus and prayer.  Every single one of them went up to get ash on their forehead, despite Fr Roger telling them it was optional.

After Mass, the officers broke the prayerful mood and took most of the lads back to their cells, leaving me with a group of seven.  It should have been more but unexpected court appearances and no shows meant a reduced number.  This atmosphere of uncertainty is pretty normal in a place like Feltham.

Feltham is a remand centre.  That means it holds young men waiting for their court appearances and trials.  When convicted (or released) the lads are quickly shipped off elsewhere.  However, this group that Fr Roger had got together have actually been waiting for their trial for a considerable time – some many months – and long sentences are anticipated for lots of them.

They were nervous: “Do we have to act?”  They always ask that.  It’s quite funny really: they sign up for a drama project and then say that they don’t want to act.  But really, all they need is a bit of encouragement and they’re away…

I explained to the lads my plan for the next six weeks.  It is two-fold.

Firstly, I want to create a new character and story from scratch for a novel that I intend to write.  I explained that the only thing I knew about the story at this stage is that I want to write about a teenager who is in prison, will be in prison for a long time and during his time inside he changes.  One lad asked me does he change for the better or worse?  I said I didn’t know yet.  I explained that, at this stage, I don’t know what he has done, his personality, his background, his friends, his family, his current life in prison, his inner life, his future.  All of these things I want to explore over the next six weeks with the help of the young men through discussion, improvisation and reflection.

However, as I said, the aims are two-fold.

This exploration of character and story is going to follow a pattern.  And that pattern is based on the Sunday readings throughout Lent.  Each week, I will take a piece of Scripture from the Gospel reading, draw out a theme and use that theme to explore the new character and the story.  I have no doubt that the lads will also explore their own character and story through this process.

“The Spirit drove Jesus out into the wilderness and he remained there for forty days, and was tempted by Satan.  He was with the wild beasts, and the angels looked after him.”

That was the piece of Scripture which became our focus on Wednesday.  It’s taken from this Sunday’s Gospel reading.  The theme… temptation.

We started with a few warm-up drama exercises.  Every single one of the participants dived in and had a go with a seriousness and intent.   This, then, led on to some simple improvisations in pairs on the theme of temptation.

At the end of our short session, we sat down in a circle and Fr Roger and I led a reflection.  Having seen their prayerfulness during Mass, I was confident in their capacity to take this on.  They were each given a beautiful image of Jesus and, gazing at the picture in front of them, I led them in a few minutes of self-reflection:

• When have I been tempted by Satan?
• When have the angels looked after me?
• Repeat the prayer over and over: “Jesus, help me in times of temptation.”

I gave them a little card with those questions on.  I invited them to take the card and image of Christ back to their cells and find time to do the reflection every day.

It’s going to be an interesting project.  Certainly for me I’m looking at the Gospel readings in a new way and this exploration is going to challenge me throughout Lent.  I also think that the process of producing a character and story which is ultimately rooted in an exploration of the person of Jesus Christ could be an extraordinary journey.

For the lads, only God knows where this will take them.  Next week I have a three hour session and I’ll be bringing in Liz and Ray with me.  Maybe I can persuade them to starting blogging too…

Why I wrote “Nine Months”…

By Martin O’Brien

When I was about 24, I wrote a short play called “Babies” which was about a young couple who were expecting  a baby and, through a lack of communication, support and fear, they terminated the pregnancy.  But then the father of the baby discovered that he was almost aborted before he was born and his view of the world changed forever.

I did not write this play with an agenda or for any particular audience, but since that time it has been seen by tens of thousands of teenagers in schools throughout the UK, largely through the work of Ten Ten Theatre.  It often provokes much discussion about communication, where life begins and the impact of abortion.

After almost 15 years of performances of “Babies”, I decided to write a new play which explored a similar subject matter but with some key differences.  I remember once being told by a counsellor who speaks regularly to girls considering termination that focusing on the life of the baby often sends them into panic and doesn’t help confused women to make a decision with a clear mind.  Counselling which focuses on the future of the woman and how she might be able to cope with the different options is much more helpful.

So in “Nine Months”, the new play I have written, the characters of Tasha and Gibsy don’t really think about the life of the baby.  In fact, the word “baby” is hardly uttered throughout the entire story.

Instead, the characters make big decisions without really thinking about the consequences.  Sometimes, it seems to Tasha and Gibsy that there aren’t actually any consequences to their decisions at all.  But then we observe their behaviour changing, sometimes quite dramatically and we start to understand a bit of what’s going on underneath.  Crucially, we see that men and women react in very different ways and that these crucial choices, which seem so simple at the time, can change the course of life forever.

“Nine Months” at the Leicester Square Theatre, Saturday 31 March, 7pm and 9pm

Visit: www.tententheatre.co.uk/ninemonths

Five Day Mission That Changed Lives Forever

The following article appeared in an edition of the Catholic Times on 21/22 January 2012 about a school mission run by Ten Ten at Newman College, Harlesden in December 2011.

Newman College Mission led by Ten Ten

As schools drew to an exhausted end of term last month, and young people were focussing on wish lists, holidays and Christmas parties, something extraordinary was happening in a Catholic secondary boys’ school in a deprived London borough.

The 520 students and their teachers abandoned the school timetable for a week, and spent five days entirely absorbed in a spiritual mission which one Year 10 boy described afterwards as “absolutely the best school week any of us have ever had”.

A few years ago, Newman Catholic College in Brent – formerly Cardinal Hinsley High School – was on special measures and at risk of closure.  In the words of Headmaster, Richard Kolka, the school was “on its knees”. There was “a culture of indiscipline, poor results and an embattled staff trying to do their best for the students under the most difficult of circumstances”.

Today, it still faces many challenges – particularly with poverty and two-thirds of the boys not having English as their first language. Yet Newman College has managed to turn itself round.  The number of students obtaining the highest grades has soared from 18% in 2004 to 70% in 2011, and three successive Ofsted inspections have classified it as a Grade 2 ‘Good’ school with several ‘outstanding’ features.

One of the features regularly classed as ‘outstanding’ is the spiritual, moral, social and cultural ethos of the school.

And it was to support its ongoing spiritual renewal and strengthening that the leadership team decided to bring in the Catholic charity, Ten Ten Theatre, to run a whole-school Mission from 12-16 December – so that every possible aspect of the theme, ‘Living Life to the Full’, could be explored.

Deafblind priest Fr Cyril Axelrod

This was no normal school mission, however, because Ten Ten does not do things by halves.

“The mission was a year in the planning,” said founder Martin O’Brien. “We agreed to take on such an exceptional project as we were so impressed by the enthusiasm of the leadership team. We decided to take the whole school off timetable for a week – which is unheard of – and we put together a team of outstanding speakers, musicians and other significant personalities in the Catholic world, as well as bringing our own plays and workshops which explore life issues.

“Our goal was both to inspire the students to consider how they can live a life as God intended, in all its fullness, and also to leave the school with a legacy for its future growth and development.”

Over the five days, the students, teachers and even some parents attended talks, plays and workshops run by over 30 powerful presenters. Each told their own personal story, making it relevant to the lives, dreams and struggles of teenage boys. Just a few of these included: Dave Payne, founder of CAFE resources, challenging the boys to think how they could be saints in the new millennium; deaf-blind priest Fr Cyril Axelrod relating his recent work in Ethiopia, where people with disabilities are seen as being a burden and excluded from society; former cricketer David Fannon talking about the values inherent in sports and the risks that sportsmen face when under pressure; comic book artist Simone Lia working with younger boys designing a comic book based on the life of a saint. Edwin Fawcett, the up-and-coming young Catholic musician who played a significant role in the Pope’s Hyde Park gathering, led the mission’s music as well as nurturing the skills of the school band and choir.   “The young people of our country get a lot of negative publicity, but – as we experienced at Newman College – the vast majority of them are absolutely great,” said Barry Mizen, who with his wife Margaret had shared with the boys how their faith had helped them to cope with the knife-murder of their 15-year-old son, Jimmy, and led them to start reconciliation work in prisons. “We tend to look everywhere for answers and support when affected by life-changing moments, so to be able to share with the students our faith and the way it sustains us was, we hope, of help to them.”

Ten Ten actor with students from Newman College

In total, Ten Ten involved about 80 people in running the mission, from workshop leaders and speakers to priests and the people working behind the scenes writing material.  Ten Ten’s name is derived from John 10:10 – “I have come that you may have life, life to the full” – and they work to advance the social, moral, spiritual and cultural education of children, young people and young offenders through drama and supporting resources.  During the mission, Ten Ten presented plays, sketches and workshops to the students on current issues: relationships, friendship, social networking and faith.

Throughout the week, in “community groups”, the boys experienced a wide mix of workshops, each falling into the category of social action, personal relationships, prayer, creative arts or sport. They also journeyed through the life of a saint – ranging from St Michael the Archangel to St Charles Luwanga and the Ugandan Martyrs. Each group explored their chosen saint’s qualities, considered how he might respond to contemporary challenges and reflected on how they too can become “saints for the 21st century”.

For many young people, prayer is challenging and often considered boring. The mission tackled this head-on by teaching the boys different approaches to communicating with God, including Ignatian, Carmelite and Augustinian prayer. And with extraordinarily positive results. Ten Ten’s Lizzie Hastings taught them about Lectio Divina, using the parable of the Prodigal Son. “The boys responded brilliantly to having the opportunity to make space for silence and to sit with God’s Word,” she said. “They were calm, respectful, and when I asked them at the end who had felt God’s word speak to them, the majority of the boys raised their hands.”

The same enthusiastic response was given to the reconciliation services, in which over 20 priests were involved. Three-quarters of the College’s students are Catholic and were able to attend Confession, but all the boys were invited to speak to the priests. “I was personally very struck by the boys’ spiritual hunger,” said Fr Richard Nesbitt. “I found the reconciliation services at the end of the week particularly powerful – the depth of the confessions showed how much God had stirred up within their young hearts during the mission.”

Ten Ten also organised sessions just for the teachers, led by Fr Damian Cassidy, a Carmelite Friar who was the mission’s chaplain. He called the week one of the most fulfilling experiences of his ministry to date, whilst one of the teachers described it as “a truly inspirational event” bringing faith to the daily life of the school community.  “It brought us all together – staff, students, cleaners, caretakers, parents – all in a spiritual event to celebrate the mood of Advent.”   But it was the 520 students in that once-failing school for whom the week was the most life-changing. “These five days we have spent with you will truly be in our hearts and not be forgotten; we learnt about God!” said Year 9 student, Fabio Fernandes. “We learnt that God is always there for us and that prayer is not just a fairytale.”

Written by C B Martin