Dosti (Friendship)
Secondary Schools - Holy Family and Oakbank
Primary Schools - Guardhouse, Keighley St Andrew,
Oxenhope and St Josephs
The Dosti
Friendship Project involved working with a professional dancer, to
use Bollywood dance as a medium to explore community. This was part
of a year-long project, where four primary schools and two
secondary schools worked together as a cluster. For the Dosti
project, the secondary students worked closely with the artist,
acting as mentors to the primary students, leading ice-breaker
activities and facilitating small groups in learning their role in
the dance.
Over the course of the year the primary and
secondary students spent time working on issues of identity,
diversity and what it means to them to be part of the Keighley
community. The project brought children from across the district
together, giving them the opportunity to form relationships and
build a sense of pride in their ability, their individual and
combined achievement and in their shared district.
When the final
performance took place, at the launch of the WDWTWA week, in
Centenary Square, the children performed as a united group, a
connected embodiment of community, as if they had been working
together for years.
Secondary teacher’s evaluation
This project has been an amazing experience
from the start. It has been a busy, interesting and very
positive project for both staff and students alike. This project
has fitted in brilliantly to the student’s curriculum and has also
made our students aware of how important new relationships/new
projects are. The one word that stands out in this project is
‘positive’.
This very well
organised project has brought together groups of people which
encouraged them to use far more communication skills than they
usually would. We already have future plans with relation to Arts
Projects and future work with next Years’ Year 9 group.
Primary Y5 – “It’s been brilliant
working with people from other schools and we made a lot of
friends”
Secondary Y8 – “I love having a
group of primary children. They are getting used to each other now
and are making friends.....I love it!”
Quotes from children
Meeting people was fun!
Can we do more!
I don’t want the Dosti Project to end.
I’ve met loads of new people and also learnt
to dance!
I think that the Dosti project is cool.
I think the Dosti project is brill! I have met
new friends and had a great time....
I wish it went on for ever, totally love
it!
Can’t wait to meet the primary schools....
I really enjoyed it because I have made lots
of friends with the primary and secondary students.
The students from Oakbank are very friendly
and the little kids are great....I love my group they work really
hard.
Fun, hardwork, serious, exciting, unusual,
strange and great!
I love having a group of primary children they
are getting used to each other now and are making friends. I love
doing it
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