The Blog for Penryn (UK) -based Kernow Youth Society for the Performing Arts. Our society is open to young people aged 9 upwards from the Falmouth and Penryn area. Our aim is to allow members to explore their interest in the performing arts through drama and film activities. KYSPA has a strong citizenship theme with activities aiming to promote self confidence, teamwork and communication skills.

Saturday 26 May 2007

Getting things done

Whilst KYSPA's internet command centre has been spitting sparks and blowing black smoke from the vents, our members have been moving ahead with many of the ideas on the Making Waves planning sheet. After the previously discussed "boring" planning session, we've been looking at how we might run activity workshops for other young people locally.

Our first opportunity will be at the "Party in the Park" event next month. This all day event provides ample opportunity for our members to apply their new-found skills and run activities for others. The last couple of weeks has been taken up with first planning a workshop (who runs which bit etc.) then trying it out on some willing volunteers to see if it works.

As a result, we've run a successful dance workshop AND shot two short films (James Blunt 007 and an as yet un-named horror spoof). A third group, also working on the 007 theme are now ready to shoot "Jane Blonde".

Part of the workshop activities include team games along the lines we learned at Lindridge. After rummaging around under the stairs I found my "games" book & we've been trying them out. These games are designed to improve communication, team work and drama skills. If they result in pictures of our members in daft positions, so much the better!


Back in business!

Apologies for the break in service but the KYSPA command centre has been experiencing technical difficulties which resulted in disconnection from the internet. We're back now, broadband capable, and normal service has beeen resumed!

Wednesday 9 May 2007

KYSPA's new Email accounts

As part of our aim to give members more direct responsibility for running the society, some of our members will coordinate publicity, workshops and film making activities.

To do this, it is helpful if they have access to Email. It is KYSPA's policy that our members should NEVER release personal Email or contact details to third parties as this can put young people at risk. Therefore, we have set up hotmail accounts for the above areas of responsibility which will be monitored by the Trustees and can be checked by the parents of those members regularly.

For those members entrusted with a KYSPA Email address, I must request that they use the account ONLY for KYSPA mail and in a manner which will reflect well on our organisation. Misuse of the account will result in the password being changed and future access denied.

Our new Email addresses can be found on the side bar above my profile.

The Seven "Ps"

Last night's session was not perhaps one of the most inspiring ever, but it was REALLY IMPORTANT! Following on from the excellent planning we did on residential, the group completed the remainder of our "Twelve Month Plan". Group members have been given responsibility for project areas and we will see some rapid movement towards our goals in the next few weeks.

  • Publicity will step up a gear, raising awareness of the group and what we are doing. Our website should pop into existence fairly soon too.
  • We are planning to run workshops for local young people at both the Party in the Park event and over the summer holls. The latter will raise money to pay for another fun residential.
  • Whilst practising how to run workshops, we'll make a short film or two, just to keep our hand in.

And that's just this next month! in July sometime we'll have our second major "Making Waves" funded activity - film making with Firstborn Creatives for the film festivals.

The odd boring session is necessary to make all this stuff happen! It's the seven Ps.

Prior Preparation Prevents Poopy Poor Performance!
If we plan well, we'll achieve lots. Hold that thought folks!

PS. We'd like to extend an official blog welcome to the new member who joined the group last night. Hope the insane E-number fuelled antics of our weird and wacky membership didn't scare you off!

Friday 4 May 2007

Plans for the Future

As well as getting into a muddle and having a great time, there was a serious side to our residential weekend. The trainers from YoMo helped the group to create a twelve month plan for the "Making Waves" programme.

The first stage of this process was to think about all the resources in Penryn and Falmouth and then to consider what issues affect the area - particularly for young people.

After this, the group selected some specific goals and issues which the Making Waves programme would focus on. This in turn led to the group identifying a series of actions (over a twelve month period) which they would carry out to achieve those goals. This plan has returned with us to Penryn and we will begin to organise the first steps over the next couple of weeks.

The final challenge of the weekend was linked to this activity. The group planned and shot footage for a professional quality DVD aimed at promoting both KYSPA and the "Making Waves" programme. The lighthearted DVD will be used to raise awareness of what the group are trying to achieve over the course of the project and could be used in schools and to tap sources of funding. It is hoped that the DVD will be completed in the next few weeks.

Planning for the "issues" section of the DVD.

Thursday 3 May 2007

"What happens if we try this?"

KYSPA's members attended their second residential last weekend at Toc-H's Lindridge House in Devon. Aside from making plans for the rest of the "Making Waves" project (details to follow), the group extended their team work and communication skills through a series of challenges.

This was the "electric fence" challenge. Simply put, the group had to get everyone from one side to the other without "electrocuting" themselves. Easy enough, you might think, but they also had to hold hands for the entire process. If anyone let go, or got zapped, the whole activity had to begin again. They got there eventually, but there was some head scratching along the way!


As you can just about see, the solution involved two lucky volunteers acting as "steps" which allowed the rest of the group to gain the necessary altitude to clear the deadly fence (I know it looks like a rope but use your imagination, folks!).

The fence was by no means the only cunning challenge our intrepid team had to face. A real stumper was the simple test of walking in a line from point "A" to point "B". The only rule was that the group's feet had to be touching for the entire journey. As you will see below, this is really quite tricky but Tia came up with a different approach in the end. Not dignified, I'll admit, but it worked!



Yes, well I told you it wasn't that dignified! Not that I can talk after my little incident with the rope loop (I got a bit stuck) but fortunately there's no photographic evidence that I'm aware of so we can move swiftly on!
One of the last outdoor team building activities was the "nightline". This required trust, teamwork and communication skills. The group split into their two teams. All but the group leader were blindfolded. They then had to follow a rope trail using touch and the instructions from the group leader to guide them. This activity was quite a good example of how far the group had come from their earlier efforts. Both groups made it to the end of the "nightline" without major incident and, in the case of the group pictured below, as a single team unit.



So, we got rather used to asking "What happens if..." It's a good way of solving problems and sometimes having a good laugh along the way!