A bit about the workshop

View of the beach just in front of the hotel and the little room where the students were immersed in environmental sessions and lectures in the 3 days before the drama and film workshops began.
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I got back on Saturday night from a great workshop in Grande Riviere. It was an environmental/Northern Range youth camp organised by the EMA for 5th and 6th form students. There were 18 students - male and female, 3 EMA staff, 3 facilitators - 2 for drama and 1 for film (me). There was a lot of merging and bonding and, as some of the students put it, it was 'a life-changing experience'.

We stayed at the open and friendly Mt. Plaisir, which is practically on the beach. Most people, local and foreign, who go to that beach have come at night to witness the nesting of the giant leatherback turtles (hundreds per night). A fascinating experience. Karen (aka Chookooloonks) gives an informative personal overview of a nesting experience here. I will share some more about that (with a short video) in another post.

Even though we were housed in such a rustic and relaxing location, we managed to get all of our work done within the six fleeting days. Five of the eighteen youths were allocated as my film group. We had three of the six days in which to workshop 'film'. Given the short time frame I decided to focus initially on concept and conceptualising and, from that point, the students conceptualised and created short environmentally conscious pieces inspired by their Northern range experience, their information gathered and their feelings felt. A few days of fun, focus, feelings and filming ... and for me, my second lengthy stay on the north eastern coast doing creative workshops (one as participant, one as facilitator) within a one month period.

See a few more photos from the 6 day stretch here. Click on each photo to see the caption below it, explaining what it is.