Geese Annual Review 2013

2

Geese Theatre Company Annual Review 2012/13

p3 Welcome p4 Prisons p6 Community p8 Life-changing theatre p10 Young people p12 Forensic mental health p14 Financial summary

p15 The company

Contents

Geese Theatre Company Mission Statement:

To use drama and theatre practice to enable choice, responsibility and change amongst offenders and people at risk of offending in order to reduce crime and re-offending and create safer communities.

3

Welcome

From the ChairGeese Theatre Company flies into its 26th year with a steady focus on its original goals of using theatre to make a positive difference in the Criminal Justice System. The company is firmly established as an international leader in the field and a centre of excellence with a very wide ‘ripple effect’ of influence internationally.

This annual review explores the company’s prison work, projects in the community with women and new developments in forensic mental health work.

The company has created new and exciting ways for a wider range of people to support and contribute. Pages 8 and 9 explain how you can get involved and support Geese Theatre Company.

The Board of Trustees thank and acknowledge the many organisations and individuals who have sustained the company’s work in the past year and during the past 26 years.

If you would like to learn more about Geese and its work, please contact the company or you can visit www.geese.co.uk

Clark Baim ChAIR

From the Artistic DirectorAt Geese Theatre Company we believe we are in an incredibly privileged position – we work with some of the most vulnerable people in our society and we are honoured to observe some remarkable processes of change.

Although there are many challenges inherent in this work, when we are fortunate enough to witness and share in someone’s journey and when we are able to provide the catalyst that motivates an individual to reassess their goals, it reminds us all of theatre’s enormous power and potential and that everyone has the capacity for making major changes in their lives.

On page 6 is Becky’s Story – there is no better way to capture what we hope our work can achieve than by inviting you to read what she has to say about being involved in a Geese project. We thank her for her courage and her commitment and urge you to support this work in whatever way you can so that we can continue to work with people who might be in a similar position to Becky.

Andy Watson ARTISTIC DIReCTOR

4

Creative Residency, HMP Wellingborough In May 2012, Geese spent a week at hMP Wellingborough working with 12 men, using drama techniques to engage them in exploring their offending behaviour and practicing skills to avoid re-offending. During this creative residency, the participants devised and created their own play, which they performed on the final day to an audience of 60.

“I think I speak for everyone on the group when I say I wish we had the pleasure of their company for another week.” Participant – HMP Wellingborough

Our unique use of theatrical devices and mask metaphor can be adapted to explore a range of issues and enable us to be flexible and dynamic, so that our practitioners can be as responsive as possible to individual needs and experiences.

2012/13 has seen Geese strengthen existing relationships with a number of prisons by continuing to deliver successful groupwork interventions such as the substance misuse workshop ‘Used’ at hMP Manchester, and ‘Reconnect’ – a three day project exploring resettlement issues. We also delivered our violent offender project ‘Insult to Injury’ regularly at hMP high Down.

Prisons

‹‹ Contents Geese Theatre Company Annual Review 2012/13

5

“This kind of course is amazing. It is another way of learning which is active and fun. The facilitators used their skills and drama techniques to get me to open up in a way I hadn’t done previously.” Participant – HMP Huntercombe

“It has shown me to stop and think and explore all the options I have before taking action.” Participant – Insult to Injury, HMP High Down

“The work that you do is great and has had an impact on many many offenders… so thank you.” Staff member – HMP Huntercombe

Geese worked with 694 people in prison settings in 2012/13

6

CommunityIn 2012/13, Geese continued working with a number of Probation Trusts, including Staffordshire and West Midlands, where we delivered groupwork interventions with men and women in community settings, as part of probation orders.

These sessions, working with groups of up to 12 participants, explored themes such as anger management, self-esteem and goal setting, and provided an opportunity for group members to practice new ways of approaching difficult situations and making different choices.

Becky’s Story “My life changed at the age of 6 years when I was kidnapped at knife point and sexually abused. I didn’t know what had happened but I knew it wasn’t right.

From then, I didn’t feel safe and I used to scream and go hysterical, lashing out in anger. Over the years I was sent to psychologists, counselling, psychiatrists and I was even sent to a special boarding school for five and a half years, which I thought was a prison.

Years went on and I started to have trouble with relationships, making friends and even getting on with my own family was hard. I used to fight all the time, started drinking and taking drugs, which made things worse, and I would get in to trouble with the police.

Nobody understood how I felt. I needed help but nobody knew how to help. I tried everything and I was still the same. I hated my life and myself and was just existing.

I broke up with my husband after being with him 15 years and my life just went from bad to worse, and I ended up getting in to serious trouble and put on probation for a long time. During this time I attended lots of courses put on by probation and then I went on the Geese course and this changed my life.

It stopped me in my tracks. WOW this was so powerful! I got it straight away, I’m in my 40’s and nothing has ever changed me before but this was amazing. I actually cried, I learned so much from the course about myself, my feelings and actions.

This saved my life.

I am employed now by a social enterprise, working alongside probation and I love it. I’m a support worker delivering programmes in the Criminal Justice System all over the country.

This has given me a new life and I’m forever thankful to Geese Theatre Company.”

Becky took part in a Geese Theatre Company groupwork programme commissioned by a Probation Trust.


7

Geese delivered 96 sessions with 741 adults in the community in 2012/13

8

Geese Theatre Company is a Registered Charity (number 327563) working with some of the most isolated and vulnerable people in society. We believe in the power of theatre, as a tool for individuals to explore choice and responsibility and to promote personal development and change.

each year, we work with over 1,500 individuals in a variety of settings offering them the opportunity to reflect on old behaviours and make new choices, which enable them to move forward and make a difference to their lives and the lives of those around them.

To do this, we rely on the generous contributions of individuals and organisations, and for that we would like to say a very big thank you for supporting Geese and the people that we work with throughout 2012/13.

A key development for our funding this year was a Catalyst award from Arts Council england which has allowed us to employ another part-time member of staff and to develop our fundraising activities. Catalyst also involves a match-funding element which has helped incentivise new support and donations. Grants and donations accounted for 23% of our income in 2012/13.

“The importance of Geese Theatre Company’s work was demonstrated clearly to me by a performance of ‘Journey Woman’ at HMP Drake Hall. Impact was immediate and all in the diverse audience were thoroughly engaged. Prison staff spoke afterwards to me of the value that would be drawn from the company’s work.” Carolyn Bettis – Trust Administrator, William A Cadbury Charitable Trust

How to get involved and support Geese:Sponsor A Mask – You can sponsor one of our Fragment Masks (pictured bottom right) by visiting our website www.geese.co.uk

Text Giving – It’s easy to support Geese; just text ‘GEES25 £5’ or ‘GEES25 £10’ to 70070.

You can donate via our Virgin Money Giving page, which can be accessed via www.geese.co.uk

You can also subscribe to our mailing list (via the website) to receive news, details of events and ways you can get involved!

How your support will help:• £20 will fund one person to participate in our ‘Used’

workshop, helping people with substance misuse problems.

• £60 (or £5 per month) will enable one person to see one of our performances and take part in an active theatre workshop.

• £250 will fund one person through our ‘Reconnect’ course, designed to help people prepare for their first year after release.

• £500 will support one woman through our ‘Journey Woman’ course, designed to help women break the cycle of hardship, offending and prison.

• £3,000 will fund 12 people through our ‘Insult to Injury’ programme, promoting and preparing for a life away from violence and crime.

Life-changing theatre

Your support is vital: every pound donated is currently matched by Arts Council england via Catalyst funding, plus we can also claim Gift Aid if you are a UK taxpayer. This means that every £1 could become £2.25, allowing us to do even more great work!


9

Life-changing theatreThank you!Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation funding £15,865 Catalyst Capacity Building funding £40,000

BBC Children in Need ‘Inside Theatre’ residencies £22,881

The LankellyChase Foundation ‘Thrive’ residencies at St Andrew’s hospital £15,000

William A Cadbury Charitable Trust ‘Journey Woman’ residencies £6,000

Smith & Williamson Unrestricted £200

Individual supporters Unrestricted £ 1,455

(Above amounts include Gift Aid)

Special thanks go to those who undertook personal challenges to raise money for us, and to those who have sponsored them:

Emma Smallman Brathay Marathon, May 2012

Chris Crocker Great Birmingham Run, October 2012

Special thanks also to Matt Collins for his help with our database and West Midlands Police for support in kind.

Your support is vital: every pound donated is currently matched by Arts Council england via Catalyst funding, plus we can also claim Gift Aid if you are a UK taxpayer. This means that every £1 could become £2.25, allowing us to do even more great work!

10

In 2012, as part of the Big Lottery funded ‘New Beginnings’ project, Geese began working in partnership with Brathay Trust in Cumbria, delivering workshops with young people who are preparing to, or have left, care.

Geese practitioners worked closely with these young people, exploring themes such as emotional resilience and positive relationships.

Regularly commissioned to work with Youth Offending Teams or in Secure Units, Geese also deliver performance workshops which allow young people to explore pertinent issues; from healthy relationships to knife crime.

“I thought that it made us think outside the box (and) the mask…gave us more of an idea on how people act and can hide/show feelings.” Participant – HMYOI Werrington

Young people


11

In 2012/13 Geese worked with 239 young people, and delivered 53 performances to 5483 professionals from a variety of settings

Staff training and conferences Geese have also been exploring the issue of vulnerable young people in the wider social welfare arena, with staff working in Youth Offending Services and with Local Safeguarding Children’s Boards.

One such performance, created to explore the realities and dangers of child sexual exploitation, has been delivered at a number of multi-agency conference events.

The piece follows the stories of three young people and invites delegates to consider the impact of child sexual exploitation on a young person; the signs to be aware of when engaging with young people; the subtle strategies and tactics of those who groom young people; and the difficulties a vulnerable young person may face when attempting to disclose the abuse to professionals.

“I found your performance very powerful and very upsetting, in fact I have thought about it over and over. More importantly as a direct result of your performance and the very clear message, I have acted on a gut feeling of mine …” Volunteer CPO – Local Safeguarding Children’s Board

12

Throughout 2012/13, we continued to develop our work in forensic mental health settings.

We have delivered workshops in a number of secure hospitals, exploring themes such as living together, bullying and confidence building, as well as completing our three year project Thrive at St Andrews hospital, Birmingham, which was funded by The LankellyChase Foundation. Geese also spent 2012/13 researching and devising an interactive performance for patients in forensic mental health settings.

Forensic mental health

Arnold LodgeAt Arnold Lodge, a medium secure hospital in Leicester, Geese has been delivering a series of workshops with patients exploring interpersonal communication skills. The level of engagement with these sessions has been very high and Geese practitioners find that, though challenging, the workshops are both effective and rewarding.

“A really positive experience. I would definitely like to do it again. Good mix of people! Really liked the trainers and favourite part was the role play!” Participant – Arnold Lodge

“Watching quiet patients come alive and expressing themselves in such a positive and imaginative way, when ordinarily they find it difficult to articulate their feelings, struck a chord with us! Hopefully see you both back here soon!” Michelle Jackson – Staff Member, Arnold Lodge


13

During 2012/13, Geese worked with 159 patients in secure forensic settings, and delivered staff training to a range of mental health trusts

14

Unrestricted Funds (£)

Restricted Funds (£)

Total income 2013 (£)

Total income 2012 (£)

INCOMING RESOURCES Incoming resources from generated funds:

Voluntary Income 41,289 – 41,289 29,685

Activities for generating funds – 60,113 60,113 77,505

Investment income 91 – 91 67

Incoming resources from charitable activities 326,305 – 326,305 247,521

Other incoming resources – room hire 7,200 – 7,200 6,800

TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES 374,885 60,113 434,998 361,578

RESOURCES EXPENDED Costs of generating funds:

Fundraising – Cost of goods sold and other costs

16,900 – 16,900 4,360

Charitable activities 344,982 60,113 405,095 358,791

Governance costs 4,080 – 4,080 3,840

TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED 365,962 60,113 426,075 366,991

NET MOVEMENT ON FUNDS BEING NET (DEFICIT)/ INCOME FOR THE YEAR

8,923 – 8,923 (5,413)

TOTAL FUNDS AT 01 APRIL 2012 126,848 – 126,848 132,261

TOTAL FUNDS AT 31 MARCH 2013 135,771 – 135,771 126,848

This information is an extract from the full Statement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 March 2013. A copy of the full audited accounts is available upon request.

Financial summaryStatement of Financial Activities for the year ended 31 March 2013


15

Geese Theatre Company are:

Andy Watson – Artistic Director Louise Heywood – Deputy Artistic Director

Irene Brown Helen Couzens Adrian Dakers Bryan Foster Yvonne Gregory Ryan Hamilton Kerry Reidy Rhiannon Sawyer Emma Smallman David Snook Jonathan Watson

THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Clark Baim – Chair Iain Lownes – Secretary

Selwyn Blyth Chris Crocker Lee Fisher Tim Manson Jim Robinson Rose Ruddick Melanie Whitehead

0121 449 6222 [email protected] www.geese.co.uk

Twitter: @geesetheatre Facebook.com/Geesetheatre

Woodbridge house, 9 Woodbridge Road, Birmingham B13 8eh

It’s easy to support Geese – just text ‘GEES25 £5’ or ‘GEES25 £10’ to 70070every £1 donated will be matched by Arts Council england’s Catalyst funding programme

Albatross Arts Project trading as Geese Theatre Company registered in england. Company number: 2182104. Charity number: 327563

Masks designed and constructed by: Sally Brookes Main images by: Gina Print Photography

‹‹ Contents

Geese Annual Review 2013

Documents

Transcript of Geese Annual Review 2013