Hi Everyone!!
I know this is a very long message, but I guarantee that you will
benefit from reading it! So please bear with me!!
Well, I am creating my own project to help people with SA! and thought
I would post it here to get some feedback. Your feedback is very
important to me, as I need to make come phone calls about this
project, but my own SA is holding me back!! So it would be great to
know how much this project idea inspires you, as you in turn will
inspire me to carry on with it!!
How I came up with the project idea:
I have suffered from SA all my life, so know all about the ups and
downs, the times where you just want to disappear, the times where you
don’t do something through total fear, and then end up beating
yourself up afterwards. It wasn’t until 2005 that I met a good friend
at the Bristol SA group, and traveled to Manchester for an SAUK meet,
that I actually started to grow in confidence and get friends! This
new found confidence gave me the courage to meet lots of random
people, and try lots of new things. However, as I was socialising
more, I got invited out more, to bars and clubs (which I had rarely or
never gone to before due to lack of friends). This presented an
immediate problem for me â€" when people decided to move onto the
dancefloor!!! Then I was flung into a whirl of anxiety and I felt
like everyone would be looking at me and the slightest movement I made
would be focused on by everyone. So hence, I stood like a rock,
beating myself up more and more, and the more people tried to get me
to let go and join in, the worse it got! Anyway, this was a big
problem for me for about a year after I started going to clubs.
I started street dancing in 2006, and can honestly say it was the only
thing I had ever found that I truly loved, and the best thing I have
ever done for myself. The class had such a supportive environment,
where no bitchiness was allowed, and the emphasis was on having fun
and growing in confidence, no matter what your ability â€" everyone was
treated as equal. One day, my dance group had a social. I got very
anxious getting ready for this as I was going on my own and didn’t
really know anyone that well! But I went even though it would have
been much easier to stay in with my boyfriend at the time. And the
evening definitely did not go as I expected it to. When we went into
the club, there was an rnb room, and all my dance class started
dancing. Because I felt so safe with them and also knew they wouldn’t
judge me, I started to move my body, and all I can say, is that by the
end of the night, I didn’t want to leave the dancefloor!!! I was the
most self expressed I had ever been in my whole life, and the thought
of having done it, filled me with joy and happiness! When I was
dancing I felt totally free of anxiety and it was just pure self
expression
Also, I had been to choirs in the past, and again experienced a
feeling of freedom from anxiety. I have more recently taken part in a
community mental health theatre group, which showed me that it is ok
to express yourself in whichever way you like, and noone will judge
you. So, now I’m getting to my project!
My project is called ‘Freedom to Shine’. What I want to create is an
event where people with anxiety and related disorders, can come and
let go of their insecurities/anxieties of doing things in front of
other people, and to have loads of fun!!! I would like this to be done
using performing arts (dance, drama and singing), as I know how
amazing they have been in helping me grow in confidence and learn how
to express myself as who I am. I would like to involve dance, drama
and singing therapists, who have much experience of helping people
with mental health conditions to express themselves, in a safe, secure
environment. I have also thought about including improvisation (as
this is something that SA people struggle with, and overcoming this
would be a massive breakthrough), and also laughter therapy!
I am committed that everyone leaves the event totally free, happy, and
self expressed. I know that for people with bad SA, the thought of
performance makes you want to curl up in a ball in the corner of the
room, tear your hair out!, freeze (as I used to), and many other
things. But what will be amazing about this event, is the level of
support and encouragement there will be for everyone involved! I
promise you, you will never look back!!
I know that lots of you will probably have thought about joining a
dance or other performing arts group, but SA has held you back. So now
is your chance to do what SA stops you from doing in everyday life â€"
enjoying yourself and letting go!
Below is my project outline, so I would be grateful if you could take
a look and let me know what you think!
Project Outline
Project Title: Freedom to Shine
Brief:
The outcomes of this project are to create Happiness, Joy, Freedom and
Self Expression, for everyone involved.
The Target Audience:
People who suffer or have suffered with SA, general anxiety,
depression, and low confidence/self esteem.
The Project:
• A one day event (in September) that will consist of performing arts
workshops (dance, singing, acting/improvisation), where the attendees
can learn some pieces and perform them at the end of the day!
• Everyone who participates does it in a way that leaves them fully
self expressed, and whichever way they do this is fine. To create an
environment where people who are constrained and unfulfilled in their
daily life, can come to let go and have fun.
• The premise of the day is: 1) There is no right way to do things, 2)
If they have fun they are doing it right! There is no such thing as
perfection, so they do not have to try and reach it!
• It will be a totally supportive, safe environment for the people
taking part. They are not obliged to do anything a specific way or to
do things they are not comfortable with, but will be given lots of
encouragement so they get the most out of the day, enabling them to be
freely self expressed.
• Involved in the event will be dance, drama and singing therapists
who have much experience of working with different mental health
conditions, to add to the supportive environment
• There will be an area where each organisation taking part can
promote their own projects/services.
Influence I would like the project to have:
• To promote performing arts as a therapy for SA, anxiety/depression
and low confidence/self esteem. Many people do not have the courage to
go to performing arts classes, but with the support this event will
offer, they will see how much they can benefit from it.
• To raise the money and increase peoples awareness of SA etc, to
create my own SA charity.
• To promote increased funding for mental health projects.
• Inspire people to continue with and help them to find supportive
performing arts classes, until their confidence has improved so much
that they can do this independently.
I’d like to thank you all for listening! And would be very very
grateful for any feedback you have on my ideas, or if anything is
missing from this that you think would be useful. More importantly, if
you would like to get involved in the project â€" whether you would like
to help organise it or come along to the event. Or if you have any
contacts that may be useful to me, it would be appreciated!
Thankyou very much
Emsy
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
|
Having problems with message search?
Fill out this form to ensure your group is one of the first to be migrated to the new message search system.
Send Email
Offline 
