The court film is about young people with a learning disability and how they handle going to court and the criminal justice system. Raising Your Game staff learnt that young people needed this from their work with young people. The film is for young people with and without a learning disability between the ages of 14 and 25 who are going to court. Many issues are shared in the film. The film tells their experiences in their own words. 

We made the film because we have also found that professionals within the criminal justice system (CJS) saw that young people needed more support. 

My role on the film as a whole was the advisor and making sure the other actors were not nervous. I did not have to do much because the other actors were not nervous. I sat in on the meetings about the making of the film and behind the scenes. The first meeting I went to about the film was with Katy, the marketing officer and the filmmaker Anne, to talk about the first steps of making it. I went to nearly all the meetings and the meeting when the animator came. It was interesting. I gave advice on the court room scenes, like looking at some cartoons with scenes in court and how we could do something similar. The court film was good fun to make. My role as an extra was good because I was only in one scene; the waiting room scene, where you look at your watch on the mobile phone as if you’re in a waiting room, waiting, and I was asked to go into the toilet as if someone was walking past, but I had to go to the toilet anyway!  

Outdoor filming for My Safe Life

Last week I did some filming with Mencap about *My Life; My Safe Life. I spoke about my experiences about being safe so everyone knows what to do when they want to know about being safe. I talked about looking after your money when out on the streets; it doesn’t matter if you’re on your own or with your friend’s just try to look after yourself.

 I also talked about people that can help you to be safe like your mum and dad or brothers and sisters, boyfriends girlfriends, fiancés, best friends, pets (like guide dogs) police, work colleagues, social workers, they should be people you can trust, like your best friend. A spoke about mate crime, mate crime is somebody that you think you can trust but they take advantage. That friendship comes to a full stop. 

*My Life is Mencap’s consultation on ways of looking at the areas of life that people with a learning disability and their families said were really important. Each My Life looks at particular issues affecting people with a learning disability and their families at different times in their lives. For more information visit http://mylife.mencap.org.uk/

“It always gives me a buzz”

Joanne Moore explains why she loves her new role as Raising Your Game’s training officer

I really enjoyed working with the young people. I started working for Raising Your Game in 2010, as the regional coordinator for East Kent. But my passion lies in writing and delivering training – it always gives me a buzz when I see the penny drop and they understand a concept for the first time.

My role changed in November 2011. I am now Raising Your Game’s training officer, which means I am responsible for the production of all the materials the coordinators use with the young people, as well as any training Raising Your Game is asked to deliver outside of the project.

We have been developing the My Life training. Everything that the young people told us is important to them will be incorporated into Raising Your Game’s training for young people.

They wanted to learn about using money wisely, which will be part of the Building My Life module. And they wanted to know more about how to access leisure facilities, which will be included in Enjoying My Life and My Healthy Life.

I make the sessions fun. Once the modules have been planned, my job is to write the sessions and find or make up activities that are accessible and enjoyable for the wide range of young people we meet at the Raising Your Game workshops. At the moment, I am devising an activity on how to decide which bills should be paid first.

Choosing My Life has been running for a while. This module is all about the criminal justice system and is accredited by the National Open College Network. We currently have 145 young people going through the course across the country. The others – My Healthy Life, Enjoying My Life, People in My Life and Building My Life – are being piloted across the regions at the moment.

I have also been involved in Talk about Talk – the communication difficulty awareness training for professionals. I have been supporting I CAN on developing the content and analysing the feedback from the pilots, as well as supporting the young people who deliver it. Plus, I co-wrote Mencap’s one-hour coffee break learning disability awareness training and trained the coordinators to deliver it.

I am proud when I see the young people present these training sessions. The feedback from professionals is always that the young people’s personal stories and experiences will affect their work and preconceptions in the future. My proudest moment was seeing one of our young people co-deliver a workshop at a National Council for Voluntary Youth Services national event. This young person attended one of East Kent’s first groups, progressed to be a volunteer and now works part-time as a project support assistant on Raising Your Game.

I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else. No day is ever the same, and I can see the difference Raising Your Game is making to young people’s lives. I really love my job.

Contact Joanne on 07949 264 877 or email joanne.moore@mencap.org.uk