With the aim of working creatively with young people who had not engaged with the arts before, bilingual workshops were held with pupils – who were part of the school’s additional educational needs department – and a mural was created inspired by their local area. Artist Siôn Tomos Owen lead the workshops and worked with the young people to create the mural.
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Using the arts as a medium, the project educated pupils about staying safe around electricity, and the mural features WPD’s Superhero character Pylonman, a children’s character created by Western Power Distribution. You can find more learning resources for children and young people and teachers on WPD’s website: powerdiscoveryzone.com
This project was made possible thanks to investment from WPD and Arts & Business Cymru’s CultureStep to develop a creative partnership between Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru and Western Power Distribution.
This project was part of Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru’s participation and skills development programme, which has supported almost 9,000 participants since the beginning of 2020.
Rhian A. Davies, Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru’s Executive Producer, said:
“We truly welcome this opportunity to work with WPD, raising awareness of their work and developing a new artistic partnership with them and Ysgol Bro Pedr. At Theatr Gen, we’re eager to collaborate with more commercial companies like Western Power Distribution and we’re delighted of this opportunity to do so.”
Karen Welch, from Western Power Distribution, said:
“We believe it is vitally important to educate young people about the key role electricity plays in our lives – and the dangers involved when it is not treated with respect. Our educational website, www.powerdiscoveryzone.com is dedicated to teaching youngsters from across our regions about how to stay safe around electricity."
“We are pleased to be working in partnership with Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru and delighted they have been able to deliver this project virtually, during these difficult and trying times. We are looking forward to seeing the mural when it’s completed."
Anita Jacob, a teacher at Ysgol Bro Pedr, said:
“The pupils and staff are really enjoying the sessions to create a new mural representing the Life Skills department at Ysgol Bro Pedr. The pupils have expressed their opinions and have been enthusiastic to participate and develop their thinking and creative skills. As pupils and staff, we are grateful for this opportunity and are excited to see the mural on display in the school’s main reception.”
As the artist leading the workshops, Siôn Tomos Owen added:
“I’m enjoying the challenge of this project as it isn’t the traditional way of creating a mural due to the circumstances. Working with pupils from the Life Skills group at Ysgol Bro Pedr has been great; they have been discussing their ideas in the online sessions and working hard on their illustrations. I’ve really enjoyed working with them on this project.”
Other projects
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National Intergenerational Week
A special project that brought together two generations of Welsh learners from west Wales
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Connect Up
Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru – alongside Galactig – are proud to be the technical partner for the Connect Up project.
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Clwb Theatr Cymru
A joint project from Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru and Mentrau Iaith Cymru, which brought children in Wales together to enjoy various workshops over Zoom.