Odd Arts Drama Classes at Werrington and Wetherby

In parternship with Odd Arts, we have recently delivered an exciting new opportunity to learners at HMYOI Wetherby and HMYOI Werrington, which aims to engage them in creativity as a pathway to rehabilitation.

Project leaders from Odd Arts and Novus have successfully worked within the restrictions of a high security environment to curate a bespoke drama learning experience for our learners, many of whom have had little or no engagement with any form of drama or creativity-based learning in the past. 

The project, carried out in August 2022, has allowed us to expand the learners' creative experiences, while also cementing core skills  in an exciting and dynamic activity.

Like many of our partners, Odd Arts has helped to develop communication and emotional management skills in offenders. Our learners have been provided with a safe and comforting space in which they can learn healthy techniques for emotional expression. 

Creative education in secure environments 

Teamwork is an integral factor in the Odd Arts approach, and many of the key themes of the project focused on this, with core principles including “understanding the needs of self and others”, “listening skills”, and “understanding self-worth”.

The approach aims to help young learners find non-violent methods for communication. We look to increase the resilience of our learners when faced with difficult tasks and encourage the development of healthy relationships and emotional intelligence.

How creativity supports prison learners

Odd Arts, who specialise in using drama to engage vulnerable people, underpin their work with several key principles. First, all teaching employs trauma-informed approaches, whereby they work with an understanding that all participants will be affected by trauma in one way or another. In doing so, they can provide a safe space for progressive teachings. 

All of their work focuses on non-violent/compassionate theory, which seeks to find a common ground amongst all participants. Once this has been achieved, communication between learners becomes far more effective.

Odd Arts highlight restorative approaches in their workshops, separating individual learners from their behaviours, while also promoting accountability and the importance of reconciliation for their actions.

Finally, all projects that Odd Arts undertake promote anti-racism and its importance as a core value for learners.

Our Novus partners

At Novus, we work with amazing partners across the prison education environment in ways that would inspire (and even surprise).

Want to find out about how we deliver a chess tournament across prisons? How about reading about the expansion of our digital offering in establishments?

The one key component of any project we work on is the desire to create pathways to change for our learners across the country.

If you’d like to get involved in our work, visit our Employer Partnerships page, or get in touch with us today to find out more.