Volunteering at The Garage

     The Garage is an Arts Centre in Norwich, that runs classes and puts on shows for young people. I started at The Garage in 2010 as a nervous, quiet twelve year old who didn't know anybody there - but my mum needed me to do something for the summer, and drama had always been something I'd shown an interest in.

     Every year, The Garage runs their Big Summer Production - a two week process of producing a show with a large group of 7 to 18 year olds - 2010 was the first ever one. In ten days, we pulled together the production of Urban Alice in Wonderland and performed it three times to a sold out theatre. Alongside attending drama classes, I went on to perform in the summer productions for three more years: Snow White, Vintage Cinders, and Peter Pan. After a while it became apparent I was a little too old to be in the shows any more, but they weren't going to get rid of me easily! I signed up to volunteer as a support worker, to help out the young people behind the scenes.

     The role of a support worker over the two weeks is largely about ensuring everyone is healthy and having a good time. The support team is not there to be creative, but to look after and supervise the young people so that the creative team don't have to. In recent years there have been up to fifty young people, with a majority younger than twelve, and such a large group can be overwhelming for some. My role specifically is usually based in the area immediately backstage, the docks, to ensure they are quiet, well behaved and feeling alright before they perform (both during rehearsals and the shows). As a whole team, we integrate with the young people to learn group dance routines and songs to encourage them and provide a good example. When there are not any group or theatre activities, we run games, tasks, and creative challenges for the young people to keep them active. During lunch and breaks, we supervise them in The Garage cafe and studios to make sure everyone is well fed and hydrated to keep energy levels appropriate.

     To ensure I can do my job as best as possible, The Garage provides training in safeguarding and team building so we can all look out for each other. Some young people have special educational needs that we have to learn to approach, and the excellent team at The Garage provide advice and techniques to support us as the staff as well. More recently, I have continued in a support role once a week at The Garage as part of the Youth Forum. The Youth Forum is a much smaller group of young people aged 12-18 who are involved in the planning and running of events at The Garage, including the quarterly SLAM Night. I look forward to being involved in future projects with this team, and continuing my role for future summer productions.

Ref: Carrie Mansfield / Adam Yaxley at The Garage Norwich.