NEW VIC BORDERLINES – A YEAR TO DATE UPDATE
NEW VIC BORDERLINES – A YEAR TO DATE UPDATE
29th May 2025
New Vic Borderlines have been busy across the first few months of the year, delivering a whole range of workshops and activities within our local communities, for children and young people and their families. Supporting continued learning while providing access to free and fun engagement opportunities through the arts, each project has offered exciting collaborative opportunities for communities to get involved with. Here is a snapshot of just some of the work that’s been happening so far in 2025.
Yes, Let’s, a sensory and interactive workshop, focusedonfacilitating access for SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disability) participantsandinvited young people aged 5 to 18 years old to participate in a two-day workshop over Easter called the ‘Eggcellent’ den making event.
The workshops were filled with sensory based theatrical activities such as creating and decorating dens and performance spaces using fabric, textures and soundscapes. The free activities were designed to enhance communication, build confidence and creativity through interactive theatre and develop social skills, self-expression, and sensory engagement in supportive environments for participants.
Funded by Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s Aiming High programme, these sessions were designed to provide lots of fun, as well as a short break from a daily routine for the entire family. The workshops ended with the presentation of a celebratory certificate – Den Designer Extraordinaire – for everyone involved.
Parents and carers of participants shared valuable feedback about their experiences, with one parent commenting: “Everyone accepted Courtney which was nice to see”, and another parent said: “Varied activities allowed all of the children to participate. All of the staff were very inclusive and friendly. My three had fun playing activities and making friends.” Reflecting on this project, Borderlines’ Communities and Partnerships Engagement Manager, Aida Haughton MBE said: “It was a true privilege to spend a day with SEND families and learn from each other while having lots of fun and chocolate, of course! We were blown away by the overwhelmingly positive feedback, but the fact that even those young people who at the beginning of the session did not feel comfortable or confident enough to engage with our activities, felt empowered to joined in by the end of the day, and said that they would like to come back again, is what melted our hearts.”
The Borderlines team then hosted a Fab Food and Folktales workshop called Passport To Your Future, foryoung people aged 10 to 16 years old to learn how to develop key social skills, such as teamwork, problem-solving and an awareness of employability.
Young people from non-profit organisation YMCA GO also contributed by sharing their unique skills through activities such as den-making, Lego building, creating costumes and exploring the world of play through theatre.
In April, Borderlines’ collaboration with Thrive At Fiveat Breathe New Life Church invited children aged 0 to 5 years old and their families the chance to participate in the project Play and Read.
During the project, families immersed themselves in playful physical activities and vocal games, interactive storytelling, and a phonetical adventure time, based around the curricular book Whisper, Shout, Let It Out!.
Focusing the project around learning, while engaging families in community-based activities in a fun and nurturing environment, helped young people engage in valuable activities surrounded by their family and new friends.
In April, Borderlines’ collaboration with Thrive At Fiveat Breathe New Life Church invited children aged 0 to 5 years old and their families the chance to participate in the project Play and Read.
During the project, families immersed themselves in playful physical activities and vocal games, interactive storytelling, and a phonetical adventure time, based around the curricular book Whisper, Shout, Let It Out!.
Focusing the project around learning, while engaging families in community-based activities in a fun and nurturing environment, helped young people engage in valuable activities surrounded by their family and new friends.
Sunday 13 April was an important day for New Vic Borderlines as it marked the culmination of their Brighter Horizons project, which sought to help Ukrainian and Afghan young people and their families with resettlement in the UK.
Sunday 13 April was an important day for New Vic Borderlines as it marked the culmination of their Brighter Horizons project, which sought to help Ukrainian and Afghan young people and their families with resettlement in the UK.
Across a 15 month period, which included weekly sessions and hours dedicated by both participants and practitioners to workshops in various locations, a wonderful celebration, was organised at Mehek restaurant where attendees celebrated the end of a communal journey filled with support towards helping young people to learn English and gain confidence while improving their wellbeing.
New Vic Borderlines are now getting ready to stage My Thousand Year Old Land, a documentary piece of theatre based on survivor testimonies from the genocide and war crimes that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s. Telling a story of the search for truth, justice and hope through women whose lives are changed by the deaths of the communities’ men in war, this poignant piece will engage audiences to share messages of hope and commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Sbrenenica Genocide.
Find out more about My Thousand Year Old Land here, or visit our Borderlines page to find out more about our work in the community.
Photo Gallery
End of resettlement project 3
