The Campaign to be me!
Inspired by the international celebration that forms the basis of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, a signdance theatre company called Sign Dance Collective has been collaborating with over 100 deaf and disabled young people during their international tours to Turkey, Greece and Kent in the South East of England.
Sign Dance collective have worked with groups of young people in schools and community settings asking them to think about what was important, what they would change about their world and what they wanted to say to those in power. Amongst a massive array of diverse ideas there was an overwhelming common theme: All the young people wanted to feel as if they could be themselves and be accepted within their own and an international society. They wanted difference to be celebrated and to feel they, as individuals had a valued contribution to make. These ideas have been combined to form ‘The Campaign to Be Me!’.
Led by young actor Jacob Casselden (mentored by Sign Dance Collective’s Isolte Avila), who recently starred in The Royal Court’s ‘Tribes’, they have now devised a piece of sign dance communicating the young people’s ideas and values. Alongside this, Artistic Director David Bower has created a film, which documents the responses and work of the young people who took part and gives a platform for young people from all over the globe to share their ideas, thoughts and dreams.
Following extensive work with young people from Pent Valley School in Folkestone, this live performance piece is coming to Kent and will be showcased in the Bouverie Place Shopping Centre on the 28th August in Folkestone.This exciting live performance will hopefully reach a large audience and profile the talents of young deaf and disabled performers.
It will then go on to Wycombe, where on the 29th October 2011 the live performance alongside the film, will be headlining the opening of the ‘Arts for Everyone Centre’ in Wycombe. This will be an opportunity for the young people involved to be the first to perform in the brand new and accessible venue. It is hoped that audiences will see this performance and gain fresh understanding of the feelings and issues pertinent to young people in their community and beyond.
This work has been a part of a project called Campaign! - a project working with young disabled people throughout the South East and internationally. It aims to celebrate international collaboration between disabled young people as they work together to build campaigns to raise awareness on issues that affect them in their respective countries.
Campaign is part of Accentuate, the regional legacy programme for the South East that aims to drive lasting change and promote excellence for disabled people. Accentuate is funded by SEEDA, the regional cultural agencies and Legacy Trust UK which is an independent charity set up to create a cultural and sporting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The Campaign project is being delivered by Creative Junction and is part of the initiative Create Compete Collaborate (CCC), the South East's principal objective for London 2012 Games relating to the engagement of children and young people. This is a groundbreaking ambition, which aims to ensure that:
“Every young person in the South East has the opportunity to engage with young people from another country, between now and 2012”
Campaign! and the Create Compete Collaborate initiative are inspired by the values behind the Olympic and Paralympic games and specifically by Stoke Mandeville, the birth place of the Paralympic movement. With the Olympic and Paralympic games returning to the South East in 2012, projects like Campaign! have real relevance to local young people. Campaign! has been awarded a 2012 Inspire Mark and is linking with other projects inspired by the same values. It provides an opportunity for local deaf and disabled young people to be part of their games.