Life-Coaching Stage Left (Or, Toonspeak's SHINE)

In a building not entirely dissimilar to a US shipping container classroom, a group of teenagers maps out a familiar narrative: the character has a goal, there are obstacles preventing that character from reaching her goal, the character overcomes those obstacles and achieves her goal. However, while these students are creating a show about their character's goals, they're also working with a life-coach to discover ways of accomplishing their own goals.

Welcome to Toonspeak's SHINE program. SHINE teaches students artistic skills while also providing them with life-coaching. While any student who lives in Glasgow can apply to SHINE, the program tends to be geared towards students from low-income communities, frequently who have no previous theatrical experience. I first learned about Toonspeak from Scottish Youth Theatre (SYT), which provides Toonspeak students with full tuition scholarships for their courses. (SYT doesn't have a formal financial aid program and instead depends on partnerships with programs like Toonspeak to fulfill their diversity initiatives.) During the ten-week course, SHINE students receive life-coaching, which the SHINE program team describes as "a way of seeing yourself and what you want out of life . . . then figuring out what you need to do to get it." There are two facilitators in the studio at all times: a professional theatre-maker and a professional life-coach.

Toonspeak Plastic-Bag Dragon. Word.

During the first class, students wrote down five words that describe themselves on index cards. They then sorted those words into three categories: positive, negative, and "question mark." Afterwards, they created characters in small groups -- drawing their character's silhouette on poster paper and writing how their character would describe himself/herself inside the character and how others would describe him/her outside the character. This encouraged the students to think about other people that they might know (friends, family, teachers, etc.) and how their perception of that person could differ from who he/she actually is. In subsequent classes, students started thinking about their goals. The life-coach had them write out a bucket list of all of the things that they wanted to accomplish and experience; students created a 15-second commercial about their top bucket list item. This segued into them thinking about the characters that they'd previously created and what their goals might be. What might be standing in the way of them achieving those goals? How might they overcome those obstacles?

Students then worked in small groups to create a short five-scene play. In Scene 1, their character introduces his/her goal. In Scenes 2-4, he has to overcome different obstacles getting in his way. And in Scene 5, he either accomplishes his goal, or he doesn't. During the class that I attended, the students came up with the basic objective for each scene ("he tries to get his friend to help him break out of jail") and then improvised the scene. The theatre-maker side-coached and kept them on-track. When a joke had gone on for too long, he told them to move the scene forward; when the actors had nowhere left to go, he suggested that they end the scene. While the students did all of the creating themselves, this guidance (where to stop, how to move on, etc.) was invaluable. By the end of the class, one of the groups had an incredibly solid short play -- especially for students with little formal theatrical training. They were even able to draw a strong performance out of a student who seemed especially reluctant to be there, just by focusing on where his particular personality might fit into the narrative and letting him create a character from there. It was a good reminder that, unlike with scripted drama, there's room for everyone in devised theatre.

Check out more of the SHINE program below. I'm interested in seeing if this model can be duplicated in the US, especially for students who have dropped out of the education system and are struggling to identify or achieve their goals.

20 comments

  1. You people have actually provided the best blogs that are easy to understand for the folks Virtual Coach Review.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hiring a social business coach can give and other social entrepreneurs the extra edge required for substantial growth, but their services would have to be cost effective, best fitting, and available Life coaching

    ReplyDelete
  3. I thought haven’t read such distinctive material anywhere else on-line.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey buddies, such a marvelous blog you have made I’m surprised to read such informative stuff lifestyle coach

    ReplyDelete
  5. You have touched good quality points here. In whatever way continue writing.
    corporate office interior design

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is my first visit to your web journal! We are a group of volunteers and new activities in the same specialty. Website gave us helpful data to work. tecnicas de sanacion

    ReplyDelete
  7. I definitely enjoying every little bit of it. It is a great website and nice share. I want to thank you. Good job! You guys do a great blog, and have some great contents. Keep up the good work. chicago life coach

    ReplyDelete
  8. Extraordinary highlights, strength, quiet and inconvenience free activities and minimal plans are an additional bit of leeway with any rope hoist maker.stage hoist

    ReplyDelete
  9. I definitely enjoying every little bit of it. It is a great website and nice share. I want to thank you. Good job! You guys do a great blog, and have some great contents. Keep up the good work.becoming a life coach

    ReplyDelete
  10. This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I love seeing blog that understand the value of providing a quality resource for free. leren beleggen

    ReplyDelete
  11. While making money and accommodating the monetary prosperity of a nation are surely significant Islamic objectives also, the connecting of training to monetary objectives is amazingly heartbreaking. It transforms the focuses of learning into simple professional communities in their viewpoint and soul. It debases schooling and through it the general public. education

    ReplyDelete
  12. I am incapable of reading articles online very often, but I’m happy I did today. It is very well written, and your points are well-expressed. I request you warmly, please, don’t ever stop writing. Direct Response Copywriter

    ReplyDelete
  13. The focal point of the coaching exertion will in general be on fundamental abilities and vocation coaching. There is a huge hole in experience, information and abilities between mentors working at this and different levels.
    https://dynamichealthstaff.com/ielts-online-coaching-india

    ReplyDelete
  14. What makes you really beautiful is feeling good about yourself, accepting your weaknesses and making the best use of your strengths. It's not all physical; the purest part comes from within. how do you coach confidence

    ReplyDelete
  15. There are lots of consultants out there consulting on everything you can think of - typically a consultant needs no license to be a consultant, just experience doing so. dream beautiful coaching

    ReplyDelete

  16. Coaching urges you to eliminate limits and restrictions you may have put upon yourself. This can bring about you turning out to be more inventive, proactive, and propelled to succeed. Columbus Financial & Success Coach- money coach Dayton Ohio - Click here

    ReplyDelete
  17. The coaching system is open-finished, implying that giving the individual being trained can pay the charges in question, it will go on endlessly. There is seldom a determinable, quantifiable objective.placement cells database

    ReplyDelete
  18. A great content material as well as great layout. Your website deserves all of the positive feedback it’s been getting. I will be back soon for further quality contents. Direct Response Copywriter

    ReplyDelete
  19. This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I love seeing blog that understand the value of providing a quality resource for free. 롤스타

    ReplyDelete
  20. Some are extremely hazardous. They will be self-trained psychoanalysts and can frequently be found investigating individuals' profound directed close to home issues without the capacity or experience to know when to stop. Moving Forward Life Coaching

    ReplyDelete

Back to Top