Moves Together (Cultural Enrichment & SMSC)

Moves Together was a youth dance initiative between The Rising Sun Arts Centre, Reside Dance C.I.C., John Madejski Academy, Brookfields School and Geoffrey Field Primary School that responded to pupils’ current health and wellbeing needs and youth provision needs in Reading. From May – October 2019, the 9-week, SMSC (spiritual, moral, social and cultural development) programme at JMA and brought pupils to The Rising Sun Arts Centre for a 12-week, youth dance programme. Brookfields School joined for the second half of the initiative. The project identified common thoughts, feelings and experiences around health and wellbeing in relation to pupils’ social media use. It adapted social choreography as a methodology to overcome the social issues that pupils have experienced online. The project brought together pupils of varying ages, abilities and ethnicities to identify and tackle these common social issues through dance. On 18th November 2019, Reside Dance C.I.C. presented Moves Together at the One Reading Conference which was organised by RVA and Brighter Futures for Children. The project caught the attention of No.5 Young People and Public Health and Wellbeing at West Berkshire Council. To find out more about the project, please watch the trailer shown at the conference below.