Lewisham College's Youth Entry to Further Education (YEFE) learners attended a theatre workshop delivered by students on the MA Applied Theatre: Drama in Educational, Community & Social Contexts at Goldsmiths, University of London to help learners develop their presentation and communication skills in preparation for their next steps.

The workshop, organised in partnership with the Talawa Theatre Company and Goldsmiths, was designed to teach learners a range of skills, including problem-solving, observation and communication skills, to successfully present stories to different audiences using the mystery genre and get the learners to perform a short play using mime and movement techniques. This activity helped our learners be more engaging and develop their creativity and confidence when performing in public. 

Gail Babb, Course leader on the MA Applied Theatre: Drama in Educational, Community, & Social Contexts at Goldsmiths, said: "It was great to have Lewisham College learners at the university to take part in this workshop and to see them gain confidence, develop their creativity and perform in front of an audience. They showed extraordinary acting skills in this workshop and their potential to become performers in a theatre production." 

 Jayne Morgan, Vice-Principal at Lewisham College, said: "We are delighted to see our learners taking part in activities delivered by our partners. The theatre workshop has been a great experience for our YEFE learners, who can now apply the skills learnt in the session to their studies, especially when delivering presentations as part of their course. We look forward to continuing to partner with Goldsmiths to deliver more workshops to help enrich our learners' journey and support them in their studies."  

Katie, a YEFE learner at Lewisham College, said: "I found the workshop both fun, intriguing and pleasant. Participating in this workshop and networking with the students from Goldsmiths helped me build on my confidence to speak in front of an audience." 

Lewisham College offers YEFE courses for young people covering Entry to GCSE levels, including maths, English, ICT, personal and social development, employability skills, vocational tasters, tutorials and language GCSEs for bilingual students (depending on availability), as well as enrichment trips and projects throughout the year and excellent progression routes into further vocational courses. To find out more, visit lewisham.ac.uk/yefe