Outset Family was a framework of support for a range of projects running between 2010-2015, raising roughly £280,000 over five years.
Chickenshed is an inclusive company that was established in North London in 1974. Today the organisation creates theatre for all ages and in addition runs successful outreach projects, education courses and membership programmes. Chickenshed changes lives by bringing young people from all social and economic backgrounds, races and abilities together to work creatively alongside each other. Many of them have been marginalised by society and excluded from other mainstream settings. Chickenshed believes that every person who joins the company positively changes the way that it works and aims to work to every individual’s strength, finding the creative environment that will enable them to flourish. Chickenshed’s mission is to create entertaining and outstanding theatre that celebrates diversity and inspires positive change.
Outset Family was delighted to support Chickenshed Kensington and Chelsea in extending the membership of its inclusive theatre workshops in Kensington and Chelsea, a borough where 42% of young people are from low income families. This support allowed more children and young people from hard to reach backgrounds access to an environment where they can experience the importance of being included and valued, often for the first time. In order to attract these harder to reach individuals and ensure that the workshops are truly inclusive, Chickenshed Kensington and Chelsea was running a Targeted Membership Scheme (TMS) during the academic year 2013-14. Under the TMS, Chickenshed offered scholarships at its workshops for a term to a set number of pupils of selected schools, based on a set of criteria agreed with each school. Criteria could include working hard at school, a talent for or interest in drama or problems at home.
Outset Family support: £5,000/year.
