Born out of a university assignment in 2013, Ruff Necks started out as a theatre in education troupe, delivering workshops on Shakespeare to schools in Folkestone.
13 years on and a wealth of lived experience later, Ruff Necks CIC was redeveloped by active performers and qualified teachers to improve the mental, physical and social wellbeing of disadvantaged young people through the use of drama, dance and music - centred around the works of William Shakespeare.
As a prior school refuser, our founder experienced the challenges that emotional dysregulation can create for young people first hand. The arts quickly became the only safe space within educational settings for her - and the only enticement for attendance. Having access to arts programmes provided the emotional and physical outlet that was needed to take a young woman from being perceived as not academic, to achieving a first class BA (Hons) in Performing Arts and further, a PGCE with distinction.
Having spent the past 5 years teaching in East Folkestone, it was evident to see that mental health and wellbeing has become extremely challenging for young people - with 1 in 5 children reported to have a mental health condition in the UK and children missing from education rising 187% since the pandemic.
The realities of tight school budgets and a freeze in SEND funding mean that interventions are becoming harder to facilitate in schools, with a decreased workforce and a demand for curriculum coverage to be achieved, they are often not taking place at all. However, we know that in order for children to engage in academics, their basic emotional and physical needs must be met first.
Shakespeare Swung is a philanthropic project that aims to provide an emotional and physical outlet for young people through the therapeutic act of performance, whilst removing the associated accessibility issues that larger costs can generate for schools and youth providers. When we are able to embody a character and their feelings and emotions in the most free of movements and vocal expression, we are able to start to reason around and comprehend our own feelings and experiences more easily - all whilst promoting physical activity, team work, resilience and an overwhelming sense of pride and achievement.
