Dementia is a common condition that affects about 800,000 people in the UK. Your risk of developing dementia increases as you get older, and the condition usually occurs in people over the age of 65.
Dementia is a syndrome (a group of related symptoms) associated with an ongoing decline of the brain and its abilities. This includes problems with:
memory loss
thinking speed
mental agility
language
understanding
judgement
increasing difficulties with tasks and activities that require concentration and planning
depression
changes in personality and mood
periods of mental confusion
difficulty finding the right words
With any performance, health and safety is very important
because if everything hasn’t been fully checked and made sure that it is safe
to perform, it could lead to a risk of people possible injuring themselves or
something more serious. Therefore, many things should be checked with regards
to the staging area, costumes, hair and makeup, and other things no matter how
small they maybe.
STOMP has no words – everyone can understand it. It has little or no melody in the traditional sense, so it doesn’t matter if your taste in music is jazz, classical, dance or pop. STOMP is about rhythm, which is common to all cultures. Everyone knows rhythm, if only from the beating of their own heart – it is the basis of all music.
STOMP is a group of people, with very strong personalities, who work together using simple building blocks to create something complex , something everyone can identify with: everyone has, at some time, to engage in group activity, whether they like or know the people they are working with or not. It’s the little idiosyncrasies, the differences between people, and the games of one-upmanship that ensue, which define the group dynamic.
There are several STOMP companies currently performing around the world: up to three working from the UK and two in North America. Each company has its own style, its own feel: this is because even though the show is very tightly choreographed and orchestrated, there is a lot of room for every performer’s own personality to shine through. The show is as much an expression of eight individuals with very strong personalities as it is a vision of rhythm.
Forum theatre is a technique you can use while acting out a
scene. The group watching is encouraged to stop the action when they think it
necessary, to suggest a different action. At other times, the actors themselves
can stop the action, and ask for help. Sometimes someone else can step in and
take over a role - or even introduce a new one.
Why use forum theatre? What can it add to a drama?
Sometimes it is hard, when devising drama, to imagine what a
character might do or say at a particular moment. If you stop the drama when in
role, and ask for help from your group, someone will probably give you a good
idea of what to do or say next. They might also offer to take over the role to
try out their idea - or even join the scene as another character altogether, to
take things in a new direction.
Of course in today's high-tech world the Internet has
provided plenty of opportunities for stranger danger to flourish. I think that children
should be familiar with the SMART code, an easy-to-understand way to help child
stay safe online.
Be SMART:
S for Secret: always keep personal details secret
M for Meeting: meeting someone you met on the Internet is NOT
advisable but if you do, have a parent or carer present
A for Accepting: accepting emails from someone you don't know
can cause trouble. They may contain viruses or nasty messages
R for Remember: someone online may be lying and may not be
who they say they are. Stick to public areas of chatrooms and if you feel
uncomfortable - GET OUT
T for Tell: tell your parents or carer if anything is
worrying you
What is PANTS?
PANTS is a really easy way for you to explain the Underwear Rule to your child:
Privates are private
Always remember your body belongs to you
No means no
Talk about secrets that upset you
Speak up, someone can help
‘Grooming’ is how an abuser makes you think that it is your fault – when it isn’t. Sometimes it starts by them trying really hard to be nice to you, giving you more and more attention or buying you gifts to make you like them. When they have gained your trust and you start to depend on them, they find ways to turn the relationship into something more sexual – abusing your trust and taking advantage of you. They might use secrecy, blame, gifts and threats of violence to stop you from telling somebody. This is because they know that when you do find the courage to tell somebody, they will no longer have power or control over you.
Grooming can also happen online. 'Groomers' might try to make friends with you on social networks or other sites. They often use chat rooms pretending to be someone else - this could be someone younger, older, a different gender or different sexuality. Many 'groomers' will use profile pictures of someone else to hide their identity. It's important to think carefully about who you talk to and what personal details you share.
