Workshops

Stand Up for Yourself
High Society
Signing Off
The Best YOU
Presentations
Productions

Stand Up for Yourself

Stand Up for Yourself is a joyful and supportive programme which focuses on building confidence and courage and helps participants find the humour in life. We analyse how comedians communicate to draw out lessons and develop skills to apply in everyday life. At the end of the programme, participants present a 5-minute stand-up comedy routine in front of a live audience. Participants learn how to unlock their creativity, overcome fear and anxiety and to present with style and confidence. They practise self-belief, build conviction and create resilience. Each week, participants embrace a challenge to make changes that ultimately bring huge benefits to mental health, wellness, and life.

Stand Up for Yourself is conducted over six weeks  and delivered through weekly two-hour workshops, remotely or in person as required.

Week 1: Your shout
Understand comedy styles and techniques. Get to know the team through icebreaker improvisation and sketches.

Week 2: What’s so funny
Learn how to construct a joke. Tap into creativity by using material from everyday life.

Week 3: Jokes on you
Apply learnt comedy techniques to write jokes and hone your comedy style. Share and receive feedback.

Week 4: Walk the talk
Plan the running order of jokes. Get 1:1 coaching on your comedy material and delivery from a professional comedian.

Week 5: Deliver the goods
Practise delivery and stagecraft, including tone, pace, body language. Test and tweak material.

Week 6: Showtime
Final rehearsal with music and lighting. Filmed live performance and presentation of certificates of achievement.

Outcomes
Overcome anxiety and increased self esteem through self expression and creativity
Overcome isolation and loneliness through connecting with others and working as a team
Create a sense of confidence and achievement by completing weekly exercises culminating in a live performance

The need at present

Worldwide 10-20% of young people experience mental disorders including depression, anxiety and conduct disorder. Mental health problems are often a direct response to what is directly happening in their lives. (Public Health England 2014) Covid-19 exacerbates the mental health challenge for young people due to additional pressures including changes to their social lives, daily routines, access to education, spending extended time with families at home, lack of routine and space. It is imperative to society to keep young people connected and engaged, particularly during Covid-19 lockdown and likely long term changes, leading to increased isolation, uncertainty and anxiety.

High Society

High Society is a weekly Zoom club for the bolder and wiser.

It was launched during the pandemic when, after considerable discussion with organisations such as Age UK and Bupa, we realised that Head Held High needed to step in and create some joy, laughter and much needed social interaction.

Our in-house facilitator is an expert in providing digital, online entertainment.  We provide a variety of fascinating zoom sessions which include celebrity talks, virtual tours, live opera and jazz concerts, art appreciation and more.

High Society has increased social engagement, provides a weekly date in the diary to which our participants look forward and a space for discussion as well as a stimulating programme.

"High Society has been amazing! It has provided varied entertainment to transport us from our homes via zoom to concerts, interesting talks on London, art appreciation, even an hour with the very entertaining Christopher Biggins and more. It's informative and fun. Long may it last!" 

Doreen

"I just want to let you know how much I am enjoying the Zoom meetings you have organised, from music and singing to talks about art and the movies. They have all been very entertaining and give me something else to think about whilst we are all still restricted. I am used to being very active and at least this gives me a chance to exercise and expand my mind.

I look forward to them immensely."

Pauline

Signing Off

“Signing Off” is an empowering 6 week programme run online or in person coaching and supporting individuals to find further training and/or employment.

Overcoming obstacles and challenges

Discovering ones passions and goals

Building confidence and self esteem

Creating a winning personal statement and C.V

Conducting a successful interview

Job searching in order to achieve tangible results in furthering training or employment opportunities.

Our team of motivational coaches will do everything they can to support and work with you to achieve goals whilst working with us. Our participants choose weekly tasks to focus on in moving their lives forward and they receive weekly calls to make sure that they are staying on the right track. 

“As a participant in Head Held High's programme I got to meet their wonderful team and see some of the work they do. Their focus from day one on building confidence and giving you motivation to find a workplace that's right for you was great. Having people that really know their way around job applications taking a look through my CV also helped me to feel confident and supported in putting my best foot forward. Not only that but Head Held High actually found me a fantastic opportunity at the Company which I currently work with, putting the skills I have already developed to good use”

Participant, 2021

“She grabbed the attention of the young people through her energy and humour as well as leading a highly inspiring and positive workshop. The sessions included helping the individuals break through destructive patterns and behaviour, positive communication and presentation skills. Tash set them proactive tasks to complete that coming week. The 18 - 24’s felt so motivated after their first session, they asked her to come back to do more. Tash has a fresh approach and that is what our clients need to keep them hopeful and motivated.”

Sandra Edwards,

Employment Engagement Manager, North London Hub

“Tash is resourceful, enlightening and showed interest in us. She made people feel at ease with themselves humorously, very charming, she brings out the best in people”

Participant, 2021

“As a participant in Head Held High's programme I got to meet their wonderful team and see some of the work they do. Their focus from day one on building confidence and giving you motivation to find a workplace that's right for you was great. Having people that really know their way around job applications taking a look through my CV also helped me to feel confident and supported in putting my best foot forward. Not only that but Head Held High actually found me a fantastic opportunity at the Company which I currently work with, putting the skills I have already developed to good use”

Participant, 2021

THE BEST YOU (Run in partnership with The Ben Kinsella Trust)

Thanks to the funding of the Social Switch Project we are now launching THE BEST YOU online. 

The Best You is a behavioural change programme. We empower participants with confidence and skills so that they feel positive about themselves and their ability to succeed in life. Participants learn to identify their unique strengths, improve their ability to manage emotions, tap into resilience, plan for the future and improve employability. They are supported with regular telephone mentoring throughout the course.  The Best You programme is conducted over six weeks, and delivered through weekly 90-minute group workshops. Workshops are fun and interactive. Week-to -week, participants make significant changes that bring huge benefits in life. 
Week 1: Going for goals Raise aspirations and set achievable and realistic personal goals Week 2: Assert yourself Develop positive relationships, practice assertiveness and conflict resolution Week 3: Make a statement Identify strengths and positive attributes; write a personal statement or CV Week 4: Interview you Practice your interview skills and confident body language Week 5: The Ben Kinsella Tour Understanding the impact of knife crime and violence Week 6: Recap and Next Step
Practice learnt skills, commit to goals beyond the program
Outcomes
Increased access to vocational employment
Improved confidence in managing and resolving conflict
Improved school attendance
Developed emotional resilience
Improved relationships with friends, family and education
Enable young people to take positive action to achieve their goals

“ The programme has had a massive impact on our students who took part. I’ve noticed an improvement on overall attendance, students are a lot more focused in lessons and also thinking about their future. Some of them are also looking forward to getting a part-time job. Tash and Damien did a fantastic job and engaged really well with our students.”

Regent High School, Camden

"I was really impressed with the Head Held High Programme. They had a difficult group of boys that have struggled with behaviour and engaging in education, often being involved in disputes with teachers, some had been fixed term excluded and some were at risk of permanent exclusion. Not only did these students have difficulties within school some of the students have significant factors that affected them outside of school, mainly gang affiliation and involvement. It was amazing to see this group of individuals engage in this project fully."

Dagenham Park Church of England School

PRESENTATIONS

We lead highly motivational and interactive presentations using motivational and inspiring footage, sharing personal experiences as well as engaging young people through taking part. Our presentations are custom built and are devised around the needs of our participants. 

An example of our work:

Indestructible You

  • The power of taking action in order to crush limited self-beliefs.
  • The importance of taking responsibility and standing strong on one’s own.
  • Breaking through negative patterns of behaviour in order to reveal a new.
  • Becoming a true product of oneself and not our environment or past actions.

HHH devises presentations for your specific needs.

PRODUCTIONS

In our unique Productions course, we offer young people the opportunity to express themselves in whatever form they wish to address, focusing on both relevant personal and social issues. Our participants create the opportunity to reveal their true voice in whichever art form they choose from playwriting to puppeteering, to spoken word or dance. 

We are all naturally creative beings and to tap into that force enables us to build self-esteem, identity and develop a strong sense of self which are crucial components to leading happy and fulfilling lives.

Bruvado

“Bruvado” in collaboration with the Little Angel Theatre Company and puppeteer extraordinaire Oliver Hymans and a group of young people from Islington.

The idea of “Bruvado” came from Head Held High and the many years we have worked with young people and noticed a disconnection between the person they were giving out to the world and who they truly were. I have felt a personal passion in this area as it has been almost like a pandemic amongst many young people. It can come very easily being the “Big man or girl” but when I ask that demonstrative person, to stand up and talk about one thing they like about themselves and look at me whilst doing so, it can seem the toughest task to fulfil.

“Bruvado” received funding for research and development from the Arts Council to run this project over a week. We are now in discussion with The Park Theatre to take it further and would be open to anyone else who is interested in working with us on this theme. “Bruvado” allows young people to explore where they do and don’t feel comfortable in themselves and where they can be more truthful and honest in their lives. The goal is to devise a collaborative performance with very much the young people’s input being the basis of it…then we bring in the puppets!

Watch the live performance

Virgin on Funny

On November the 29th 2021, Head Held High in collaboration with the Charity Mind put on its very first live comedy show in an actual pub with people from the public…can you believe it!

We had 8 brave comedy virgins get up there and strut their stuff on a cold winter’s evening during a pandemic and we still managed to get an audience and people actually laughed!!

This was a very proud moment for Head Held High. Many of our participants had been struggling over the last couple of years and it was a triumph for them to dig deep, find the funny in their lives and share that with others. A few of them have even started on the open mic circuit which is just so brilliant!

“Doing “Stand up for yourself” was a leap of faith, but Tash put me at ease immediately, the vibe was really fun and supportive. Finding the funny in painful experiences has really helped me move forward and live life more. I now do stand-up open mic nights. I’m so glad I found comedy through Head Held High.” Ro Dodgson.

Watch the live performance

"The 18 - 24’s felt so motivated after their first session, they asked her to come back to do more. Tash has a fresh approach and that is what our clients need to keep them hopeful and motivated."

Sandra Edwards

Employment Engagement Manager, North London Hub

"Tash has worked with and affected some of our most challenging students, and manages to engage them and build positive relationships – students from previous groups still acknowledge and spend time talking with her.
The students describe her sessions as inspiring...she really made me think...it makes me want to be better”.

Kasey Knight

Deputy DSL and Wellbeing Coordinator, Beacon High School