Stand Out

"The Stand Out project is a brilliant idea. If it had existed when I was at school it would have been a massive help. Young people should be encouraged to follow their dream. Long may Stand Out continue." (Les Dennis, Comedian and Patron of The Comedy Trust)
• Welcome to the Stand Out site. We are now taking bookings for 2010 terms and onwards. There are lots of options available from a full 7-week Stand Out course, a taster workshop for young people in your school or youth group or a bespoke course or programme. We can work with you to develop a tailored comedy workshop or course to meet your objectives.

Please read on to find out more about Stand Out.

"A unique stand up comedy training scheme"

(The Guardian)

What is it?

Stand Out – the stand up comedy course for 14-18 year olds is the Comedy Trust's flagship course. The course began as a pilot scheme back in 2002 and proved so popular that it is now run all year round in schools across the North West. Over 2000 young people have now taken part in a Stand Out course and the course has won approval from teachers and education professionals from across the country.

''Stand Out Courses have offered students the opportunity to have fun and develop confidence and self-esteem – all within a supportive environment. Young people of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds have shown remarkable progress by participating in these programmes.This is an excellent youth service and extended schools activity.'' (Stuart Smith, Executive Director of Children's Services, Liverpool City Council)

The Stand Out course runs as a 7-week workshop programme, with 2 hours a week, with a group of 20 pupils either as an out of school activity or within the national curriculum. The course is delivered by professional stand up comedians and creative practitioners and covers all aspects of how to write and perform a piece of original stand up comedy. At the end of the 6-weeks, students perform their stand up material to an audience of friends, family and teachers in their school or youth centre. On the seventh week the pupils will take part in an fun evaluation and reflection session where they will recieve their certificates and help to give some valuable feedback about their thoughts on the programme through a variety of fun activities.

How does it benefit Young People?

The workshops explore all aspects of comedy, including what makes young people laugh. Stand Out not only encourages young people to think and learn creatively, but through the use of challenging activities and varied teaching methods the course promotes confidence, social skills and a positive sense of self awareness.

The overall aims of the course are to;

• * Increase confidence and self esteem in young people participating
• * Develop young people's communication skills
• * Support young people to develop their creativity
• * Engage and be an enjoyable experience for all young people

Is it having a positive Impact?

We carefully monitor the progress of young people on the programme, areas such as motivation, self-confidence, enjoyment, and engagement with school, general behaviour, communication skills and creativity are part of the monitoring and evaluation process. A comprehensive evaluation report is produced at the end of the programme.

In 2006 Stand Out was externally evaluated by Geri Moriarty for Merseyside ACME, to find out whether the programme was meeting its aims and objectives and having a positive effect on young people. The report was extremely positive and concluded that young people participating in a Stand Out programme experience increased self-confidence, self esteem, communication and creativity skills. Please click here to read more about the Impacts Stand Out has had on young people.

"Stand Out is an excellent programme encouraging neighbouring High Schools in Sefton to work in partnership. delivering high quality study support provision. The programme has given students the opportunity to form new friendships and increase self-esteem. I'm amazed at the rate the students' confidence has grown!" (Gill Blackall, Sefton Study Support, Extended Services)

Accreditation

Young People can now gain accreditation through the Stand Out programme by working towards an Arts Award an initiative of the Arts Council. Please visit our dedicated Arts Award page to read more about this scheme.

Contact Details

If you would like to receive an education pack or to find out more information about how the Stand Out programme could be run in your school or youth centre please contact us by calling 0870 443 0955 (local rate) or email:Stacey@thecomedytrust.com

Click Case Studies to read more about recent Stand Out projects.

Stand Out in Action

To watch Stand Out in Action please visit Stand Out TV

To watch other comedy projects in action please click here

Or click here to watch a clip from Teachers TV about Stand Out School Matters - Happiest Days? http://www.teachers.tv/video/18941