Apples and Eyes our young peoples school promo video

made by filmmaker Matthew Kowalczuk and assistant Afra Nuarey

Caroline Vitta - youth work manager at Trust for Developing Communities

"What a fantastic four days.  When I first met the young people on the bus on Monday morning, it was hard to imagine how the next four days would go. How amazing then to see the transformation that occurred in each young person by day 4 in confidence, participation, creativity, and friendships.
Each part of the Apples and Eyes project contributes to the young peoples growth – from the drama games, reading scripts, making music, art workshops, acting and film making , plus just having some free space to be young people and being able to express themselves.  The enthusiasm for Shakespeare and the arts comes across to the young people from the facilitators who deliver the days with warmth, fun, patience and encouragement.
I have no hesitation in saying that I would love for TDC Youth to be involved in Apples and Eyes 3 in 2023." 

June – I liked it all & the location was good.
Nikita from Ukraine – It’s alright. I like painting the ship.
Lauren - Favourite was the music, I could do something myself without being wound up.
Amelia – All of it, I liked acting. I had a lot of fun & love painting the rocks.
Che – I especially liked painting the masks & making dog tags. Pretty good acting & music.
Tanya from Ukraine – The costumes I like - (Tanya is a brilliantly talented seamstress aged 12)

TDC are keen to build on work to give young people more of an opportunity to feel they belong to their community in positive ways. One way to unite people is through experiencing the arts & being out in the natural world. A growing enthusiasm for the previous two summer schools has been such that TDC youth worker manager Caroline Vitta is keen for it to happen again this year especially as the young people hardly use their smartphones during the four days.

At Apples and Eyes, we play games, offer young people the opportunity to engage with some scenes and act, do some filming, make music and craft work, making props and costumes.

TDC Youth has had over 3000 visits by young people in the last year. They have over 300 named  contacts and many more that are young people they don’t have names for (usually because TDC Youth meet them on their detached sessions). 15% are registered as having Special Educational Needs (there will be more without a diagnosis).