Speak Up students from �ٴ��� Academy Freeston are currently preparing to share their brilliant performance 'Empatheatre' with the Freeston Foundation and staff!

Speak Up is a unique initiative that brings together secondary school students, local artists, and teachers to co-create artistic responses to the issues that matter most to them, in collaboration with Theatre Royal Wakefield and The National Theatre . Here are some of their thoughts about the programme:

“If you had told me two years ago I would be standing on a stage performing like this I would never have believed it. But Speak Up has been amazing for me. I have learned how to be confident and how to express myself in a way I never thought was possible.”

“I would never join the drama, signing or musicals groups because they scare me. Speak Up isn't just about performing and making shows. It's a way to tackle a problem creatively and that's why I have been coming for two years.”

“I don't feel like I fit in at school. But speak up is different. We are like a family. Everyone is welcome and it's so much more inclusive than other parts of school. I just feel like these guys are my friends. We support each other and make room for each other. I don't want it to end.”

“I think covid affected our age group a lot more than people think. I lost my social skills and I didn't want to do anything after lock�ٴ���. Speak Up sessions have made me come out of my shell. I don't think people realise how much teenagers were affected by the lock�ٴ���. Speak Up is the only place I feel heard and safe and happy.”

“A lot of us are neurodiverse. It's kind of a big deal that we are doing this, performing and speaking up. I feel so proud of us and I have so much respect for the others in the group. That's our way of doing things. It's different.”