Youth Music funded project helps bullied teenagers

Posted: 09 December 2008

Norfolk Action Zone uses creative workshops to support children who have been badly bullied

Teenagers who were bullied at school have told how Community Music East's Music Wise workshops helped them rebuild their confidence and make friends.

Community Music East and Music Wise, the Youth Music Action Zone for Norfolk ran workshops at the Red Balloon Learner Centre in Norwich. The centre was set up by Barnardos for 11 to 17 year olds who cannot attend mainstream school because they have been severely bullied. CME ran weekly music and multimedia sessions at the centre in 2007 and 2008, including junk percussion, song making and animation.

Shaine, aged 15 and James, 14, attended the workshops at Red Balloon.

Shaine, who has been attending Red Balloon for three years, says. 'I was bullied in every school I went to, which was around four or five. In the end Mum pulled me out and started to teach me at home, until we found out about Red Balloon. CME brought in bits of junk for us to play. It was hilarious, with some people blowing down plastic tubes and others slapping flip-flops. It was great fun making music with other people and it was a confidence boost doing new things in front of your friends because you don’t know what they are going to think.'  Shane is now studying for four GCSEs, something he says he would never have been able to achieve in mainstream school. He wants to be a trapeze artist in the circus when he leaves Red Balloon.

James has been attending the centre for 18 months after being out of school for a year due to being the victim of bullies. 'I liked doing animation and song making,' says James. 'We did a gorilla animation about a bunch of animals looking for a water hole. I was moving the animals and I enjoyed putting it onto the computer. The group got to know each other really well and I was surprised at what we could achieve working together.'

W:  www.cme.org.uk
      www.music-wise.net 

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