From 30th March to 3rd April, our Easter camp And Still Being Written brought together an incredible group of young people for a week that was about so much more than performance.
Inspired by the energy and message of & Juliet, the children took on the challenge of moving from script to stage in just five days, and that stage was in “The Round’. What they achieved in that short time was remarkable. Confidence grew, voices strengthened, and friendships formed in ways that reminded us exactly why spaces like this matter.
But what made this week truly exceptional wasn’t just what we saw on stage. It was what was explored beneath the surface.
Nobody really prepares young people for the social landscape of senior primary and secondary school. Not the timetable, not the homework, not even the pressure of exams. It’s the friendships that can be the hardest to navigate.
One day everything feels steady. The next, something shifts. Plans change. Group chats go quiet. Spaces that once felt secure suddenly don’t. And often, young people carry that quietly—unsure how to name it, or even if they should.
Throughout the week, we created space to explore those realities. Not in a heavy-handed way, but gently, honestly, and through storytelling. The themes within And Still Being Written gave the children a way to reflect on identity, belonging, and the feeling that their lives are already mapped out for them—especially once they begin stepping beyond the safety of home.
The conversations that followed were thoughtful and, at times, deeply moving. Young people spoke about expectations, about friendships, about the pressure to fit into roles that don’t always feel like their own. They showed empathy, courage, and a level of emotional awareness that stayed with us long after rehearsals ended.
And that’s what this week was really about.
Yes, we are incredibly proud of how the children brought a full production to life in such a short space of time. But even more than that, we are proud of how they engaged with the story—and with each other.
Because at its heart, this experience carried an important message:
Young people don’t need to make themselves smaller just to belong.
They don’t need to chase a place where they feel uncertain or unseen.
And the friendships that truly matter will never leave them questioning their worth.
These are not always easy lessons. Sometimes they take time. Sometimes they are shaped through the very challenges young people are still learning to understand.
But if this week showed us anything, it’s that when given the space to express themselves, reflect, and be heard, young people don’t just perform stories—they begin to understand their own.
And that story, as always, is still being written.
