Arts University Bournemouth (AUB)’s historic Palace Court Theatre will play a central role in this year’s Boys’ Impact Conference, hosting a high-profile evening reception and production.
The annual national conference, organised by Boys’ Impact and hosted in Bournemouth on 9–10 September, brings together key educational leaders from across the UK to discuss and drive strategies aimed at improving outcomes for working-class boys and young men.
Reaching full capacity just two weeks after registration opened, the free-to-attend conference will welcome over 330 registered delegates, including more than 230 senior educational leaders, headteachers, university executives, trust leaders, and local authority leads.
The evening event, taking place on 9 September at the Palace Court Theatre, will feature a welcome drinks reception followed by a live performance of Boys Can, presented by Our Direction, a newly established all-boys acting company from Ferndown Upper School.
Based on the personal experiences of the young actors in the company, Boys Can tackles themes of masculinity and identity. The 30-minute play follows the story of Alex, a young boy navigating daily struggles, peer interactions, the online world, and societal expectations to ‘man up’.
Following the performance, guests will take part in a post-show panel discussion with the cast.
Lisa Mann, Vice Chancellor and CEO at AUB will open the event, which will also feature the acclaimed Being a Boy exhibition, previously showcased at the House of Commons, further highlighting the University's leadership in widening participation, creative education and youth engagement.
“Few events provide access to such a concentrated audience of educational decision-makers," comments Dr Alex Blower, Founder and Director of Boys’ Impact and Research Fellow at AUB. "Given the profile of attendees, this presents a significant opportunity for AUB to showcase its leadership in widening participation, creative education and work with young people to a highly influential national audience.”
The collaboration underlines AUB’s ongoing commitment to widening participation and fostering inclusive creative opportunities for young people across the region and nationally.
To find out more about the conference and its programme, visit the Boys' Impact website.
