#WeWillWeek - Ormiston Bushfield Academy takeover 

Ormiston Bushfield Academy

On Wednesday 1st March we tasked pupils across the Ormiston network with the #WeWill website challenge. Asking young people to write and submit content on the day. Ormiston Bushfield Academy reflected on what the #WeWill project means to them.  

By Ekaterina Tsvetanova, Year 9 

The Youth Social Action project #WeWillperform was a great opportunity to explore Shakespeare in the curriculum through Art, English and Drama. We were able to work on his language in our own lessons and with the primary school children to help them become familiar with the words and sounds. That way, when they got to secondary school, they hopefully wouldn’t be so intimidated by it. Shakespeare’s language is so important, as it not only contributes to our understanding of the English language, but also broadens your own personal vocabulary. Did you know that the phrases ‘wild goose chase’ and ‘what’s done is done’ were coined by Shakespeare? 

 Furthermore, it also offered us the chance to interact and meet new people from three different schools, from working, leading and performing with them. It was brilliant having them visit our school and have a look at the school they might attend.  

Another benefit of #WeWill is that it brings people together to achieve a goal which can impact the community in a positive way. I worked with people I hadn’t worked with before to raise money for books and toys for the local hospitals and nurseries. In addition, through doing this, you develop many skills, boost your confidence and socialise with people you may have never seen before. It encourages children and young people to speak up and allows them the opportunity to have a voice and be heard. My experience with #WeWill has made me more confident with both speaking to, and in front of, other people, but also with being able to show what I’ve developed. It has really encouraged my teamwork skills and it is just fun in general.  

My favourite part has undoubtedly been working with the primary children and seeing their contribution, dedication and pleasure at the end of it. They all had fun and really engaged with the activities. It gave me a real sense of achievement.  

By Jaydin Hastie, Year 9  

Being a part of the #WeWill project has really helped everyone involved to connect with each other, with other schools and within the wider community. Having the opportunity to both learn about topics we are passionate about and then pass the knowledge onto others is an enriching experience. It’s also fun!  

To know that we are not only helping younger people connect with Shakespeare (an often quite a daunting topic) but that in the process we are also helping raise money for our local community, is an all-round amazing experience. Being able to see the growth of the young people we have rehearsed with and see their confidence grow is a truly heart-warming experience. 

It’s All About Connection – A Great Experience

Jaydin Hastie

By Keisha Reid, Year 9  

Youth Social Action is a great thing to be a part of! Young people can take ownership of issues that matter to them. It throws out so many opportunities to help someone or a whole group of people.  

You can help by volunteering in schools, arranging fundraising events such as game nights, bingo or even selling cake pops, sweets, keyrings and cookies! It is a good way to come together, have fun and share information and raise awareness of a variety of issues. 

I think the #WeWill project is a great group to be a part of as you can learn new information as well as helping other people, raise awareness and make connections in the community. It gives young people opportunities to apply their classroom learning in a new context, as well as a chance to develop new knowledge and skills! 

My experience of going to primary schools during the #WeWillperform project and leading the workshops has been so great. Learning to work with year 4s and 5s and meeting new people has been such a fun experience! I feel much more confident in running activities and my leadership skills have definitely improved.  

One of the best things about Youth Social Action is that it’s very inclusive.  Everyone can find a role, have something to do and no one gets left out. We met regularly to discuss what we would do at the workshops and prepare for our presentation evening to parents and staff. We took on different roles and worked with different people.   

At our presentation evening we sold keyrings that we had made with Shakespearean quotations. We worked together and created a production line opening, sizing, cutting, filling and sealing the keyrings. With the money we raised that evening, as well as the other fundraising events from our primary schools, we have been able to buy books and toys for four local nurseries and the Children’s Ward at our local hospital! 

I think this is great because my family is well known to the children’s ward because my little sister is there often, and I know this is the same for other families, so it feels so good to be helping the community.  

I am so grateful for being a part of this as this has helped me develop confidence, speaking and directing skills just being a part of this! I can’t wait to be involved in the next project!