Funding from London Councils helped artsdepot deliver a three week accredited verbatim theatre project in August 2009 with young people from Barnet Youth Offending Service.

Working with 11 young people, artist Charlie Dark explored issues important to the group through performance and writing. Six young people completed the project with a performance in the Studio Theatre and achieved Bronze Arts Award Accreditation. One of the young people was 17 year old Hassan...

Hassan's story

"The Youth Offending Team told me to go on the project because they thought it would be a good experience for me and I would get a qualification at the end of it. We're going to make a show and you get skills out of it, you get experience out of it, you learn how to act, you know how to do drama, you get more confidence. I haven't really done stuff like this before.

It's challenging and it's keeping me out of trouble basically. Hopefully I'll get the qualification and more experience. Maybe I'll meet new people and hopefully something can happen in my life and I can do drama, acting when I'm older.

It could probably change my future, hopefully I could get a good job out of it with the qualification. When you're confident you're not shy and you can go up to people and speak how you want to speak. It will help me because people are looking for people with qualifications and that are confident. I can go to the interview without being nervous, you're just ready."