Starbucks SSP Croydon

THE PROJECT We are Drunken Chorus and we work with DISCO DISCO - a theatre company for adults with learning disabilities based in Croydon. We meet with participants regularly, running high quality workshops and projects, which act as creative development for participants and as a conduit for wellbeing, self-confidence and independence. Over the course of 10 weeks we will work with a group of 15 adults with learning disabilities to create a brand new theatre performance, which will be performed for. Here are some past comments from audiences: 'A bonkers, joyful jamboree' 'Brilliantly inclusive and a whole lot of fun. THANK YOU' 'Exactly what the arts should be about' Participants will work with (and perform alongside) professional artists from Drunken Chorus - a registered charity and theatre company, who have been making contemporary performance for the last decade. The project aims to: Decrease social isolation Improve participants’ wellbeing Develop life skills Promote equality and diversity to wider / mainstream audiences We will work with 15 adults with learning disabilities, who will be active participants in the project, and will perform in front of a public audience. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT The participants we work with have a range of mild to moderate learning disabilities, such as autism, asperges and mild down syndrome. Our projects provide vital respite for individuals who often have difficult and stressful lives. Taking time for being creative and social, and for working collaboratively with others is a way of taking a break from every day stresses and anxieties. Participants often arrive for sessions with anxiety about things in their personal lives - such as financial problems, bereavement and social exclusion. These are problems and life events that those without disabilities would struggle to deal with, but people with disabilities can often find it extremely difficult to cope. However, our projects have frequently proved to help participants take a break from stresses. Carers have told us in the past that participants are ‘like a different person when they’re in the workshops’ and that at other times they are more withdrawn and isolated, but come to life during our projects. Some of our current participants are also financially disadvantaged, and often on the poverty line, due to barriers to employment and cuts to welfare. This is likely to be the case with future recruits also, so it is vital that we can offer our projects free of charge to them. HOW WE'LL SPEND THE MONEY Donations will be spent on space hire, training costs, volunteer expenses and materials for sessions. All money donated to the DISCO DISCO project helps to keep sessions free for our participants.