Somebody’s Daughter Theatre received a $30,000 grant that supported 35 vulnerable young people like Karen to re-engage in school and community through their involvement in the Nobody’s Fool Theatre and educational workshop program
The students attending the program work on gaining new skills, improving their self-esteem and self-confidence and as a result feel more motivated to engage with their education.
Karen is one such student. Karen hadn’t attended mainstream school for 2 years, dropping out in year 7 at the age of 13. She had been constantly bullied at school and experienced major anxiety episodes at the thought of entering the school gate. When she entered the program, she was shy, awkward and reluctant to participate in the creative workshops.
12 months later, Karen has improved almost the equivalent of two year levels in Maths and English. In the words of her teacher “Karen is now looking at returning to mainstream school part-time next year to do one of two subjects, while remaining in the program…this is a huge step forward.”