PASTEL aims
to provide specialist support for people at a disadvantage
- to help them to avoid becoming ‘economically inactive' after
they leave school/college.
PASTEL
training focuses on ‘soft skills/outcomes' :
Attitudinal
: Self-esteem, positive regard of others, taking responsibility
for own life, confidence, motivation, attitude, self-awareness,
reduced depression/anxiety and increased aspirations.
Life
Skills : Social skills, attendance, time-keeping, personal
presentation,and relevant conversation.
Transferable Skills : Working in
groups/teams, problem solving, questioning,evaluating, initiative,
language skills and communication.
By
way of example, in the summer of 2010, the PASTEL clients
were split into 2 competing teams of 6- eached assigned to
produce a radio play targetted as a "bed-time "
story for young children.
Each
team started with a blank sheet of paper and, having agreed
a team name, had to discuss the task amongst themselves and
come to a collective agreement on a storyline, characters,
script and sound effects - and then to perform their parts.
They were encouraged and supported by a professional drama
tutor, a professional recording/editing technician and 5 peer
volunteer mentors.
Both
teams rose to the challenge and generated interesting stories
and along the way each client's self-esteem and confidence
were boosted and the task encouraged their decision-making,
communication and working as part of a team. They all had
great fun and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
And for the record, here
are the end radio plays...
Team
"Something"
Story
Summary
A
group of farm animals are playing football inside a barn when
the lights went out. When the lights came back on, the farm's
sheep (Shaun) had disappeared. Sherlock Horse and Ducktor
Watson volunteered to go out and look for the missing sheep;
they were accompanied by the farm's sheep dog and cat. The
four animals saw a track of wool which led to the farm's chicken
coop; they decided to follow the track. The animals looked
into the chicken coop and saw that not only was the sheep
nowhere to be seen but also that all the chickens had disappeared.
The four animals soon began to smell the aroma of cooked chicken
coming from the farmer's house; they went to investigate.
On arrival, the animals knocked on the house's door but were
refused entry by the farmer. Still able to smell the aroma
of cooked chicken, the animals crept around the back of the
house and looked through the kitchen window; they saw the
chickens and sheep being cooked in a big pot. Before it was
too late the animals smashed through the kitchen window. The
farmer, however, heard the smash, ran into the kitchen and
chased the animals. All the animals (including sheep and chickens)
managed to escape.
Characters
Narrator
& Football Commentator = Victoria
Sherlock
Horse = James
Ducktor
Watson = Darren
Sheep
Dog = Andrea
Sheep
= Tom
Farmer
= Tom
Cat
= Matthew
Team
Something
Team
"Jackson 8"
Story
Summary
A
school bus full of children is on its way to the Natural History
Museum when a terrible storm forces them to pull over at a
Haunted House. Mr McIntyre, the teacher gets two children,
Tiny Tim and Sarah to check out the house. They meet a formidable
butler who invites them in for custard creams and tea. When
left to unpack their suitcases in their rooms, Tim and Sarah
decide to explore the house. They discover a ruby necklace.
They are then met by two angry ghosts. The ghosts explain
that they are unhappy because their ruby necklace has been
cut out of and stolen from a painting of them. Sarah and Tim
find the painting and place the necklace in the painting of
the ghosts before they died. They meet the ghosts again who
are much happier. The raging storm ends and they decide to
leave, only to find out that Mr McIntyre is missing...
Characters
Narrator=Annalise
Mr
McIntyre= Thomas
Tiny
Tim= Mark
Sarah=
Shenah
Butler=Daniel
Ghost
1=Luke
Ghost
2= Dominic
School
children= Dominic, Luke, Daniel, Thomas
Sound
effects: Everyone!
The
Jackson Eight
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