SHAKESPEARE AMBASSADORS

Recruitment

We have over 400 Shakespeare Ambassadors from ages 8 to 18, who are recruited from our Associate Schools across England. These young people either nominate themselves to be representatives of the Arts in their school or are selected by their teachers as a advocate of creativity.

Agreed in consultation with the Youth Advisory Board, these are some of the qualities that we are looking for in a Shakespeare Ambassador:

They will:

• Have an interest in making Shakespeare and theatre more relevant to people’s lives;

• Want to be active change-makers in their community;

• Be passionate about wanting their voice to be heard;

• Respect others' points of view, and are kind and caring of others;

• Be good team players: cooperative, reliable, engaging and inspiring.

Projects

Shakespeare Ambassador training aims to empower young people to devise projects that are unique to their schools. These activities might include:

• Speaking out and advocating for theatre and the arts in their communities;

• Hosting the First Encounters tour in their schools and local theatres;

• Supporting Playmaking Festival performances;

• Holding school assemblies about Shakespeare and theatre;

• Organising competitions or activities celebrating Shakespeare;

• Creating display boards in their school.

We encourage clusters to host a Shakespeare Ambassadors sharing event in the summer term to celebrate the achievements of the young people over the course of the year.

Skills Builder

In partnership with Skills Builder, we are able to support students with the development of a series of skills and track their progress.

We encourage Shakespeare Ambassador Mentors to use the bank of resources on the Skills Builder website to support students in setting targets and taking part in activities to build these skills.

Find out more on the Skills Builder website.