Ruff Necks: SHAKESPEARE SWUNG

A performing arts project that champions young people to channel their creativity to explore challenging emotional themes, whilst improving mental health through drama, dance and musical composition.

£6,756
Raised of £6,570

47
Backers

102%

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This project has reached its fundraising target. It has also activated Continuous Fundraising, which means you can still donate and support the project.

Updates

3 Donations worth £1051 week ago

WE DID IT - but we still have more that we can do!1 week ago

Wow! We are so delighted and overwhelmed with the incredible support we have received from all of our supporters and KCC. Whilst we have met our target and we are ready to start delivering this niche work, we now have an opportunity to make even more of a difference to a young person who falls into the NEET category (Not in Education, Employment or Training). For just £10 an hour at the real living wage, we can give a young person the opportunity to come and work alongside us and experience a totally neuroinclusive way of working! If you are able, please give us a final share and pledge if you can - we have 2 days left to make a real difference!

Ruff Necks: SHAKESPEARE SWUNG hit its fundraising target!1 week ago

Brilliant news, thanks everyone!

1 week ago We've hit our target

Update: amending our costs1 week ago

After discussions with Spacehive and KCC, we have decided to scale down our project to place more of a creative onus on our young participants whilst ensuring that our venues of choice are as inclusive and accessible for all participating and viewing. Whilst change can be daunting, it creates great opportunity for learning, growing and developing - something we have a life-long love affair with! We are still incredibly proud to announce that we will still have the support of KCC who will still pledge towards our campaign - but this will take a few days to update! Thank you for your continued support and positivity towards our work - we'll be back soon with another update!

Ruff Necks: SHAKESPEARE SWUNG started fundraising!1 week ago

Ruff Necks: SHAKESPEARE SWUNG verified by Spacehive.1 week ago

15 Donations worth £3301 month ago

40 backers!

40 people have backed Ruff Necks: SHAKESPEARE SWUNG!2 months ago

Whoop, 40 people have pledged since fundraising began!

30 backers!

30 people have backed Ruff Necks: SHAKESPEARE SWUNG!2 months ago

Whoop, 30 people have pledged since fundraising began!

https://www.ruffnecks.org/

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.

Project Owner: Ruff Necks CIC The Project Owner takes legal responsibility for receiving and spending the funds raised and ensuring the project is delivered.