Being a Boy

You can now watch:

• Character documentary, following participants in the 2023 Character workshop explore acting processes.
• How to Be a Boy, documentary to see participants of the 2022 Empower workshop creative writing successes.
• Beneath the Surface, a participant's continued exploration of dance after taking part in the 2022 Lift Off workshop.

Fashion Branding and Communication workshop exploring ideas of masculinity and gender stereotyping in styling.

Fashion is a journey of self-discovery that can only really be defined by the collector. As one fashion insider said, “That’s fashion to me. Collecting beautiful little pieces of yourself over time.”

Identity will introduce participants to new ways of seeing, reflection on their own tastes, and new recipes for self-expression.

Previous experience isn't necessary. Lunch and workshop materials provided. Participants will leave the workshop having experimented with styling and art direction of their personal visual language.

A two-day Acting workshop at AUB’s Palace Court Theatre, providing space for a creative exploration of challenges facing young men.

This workshop will be an opportunity for young men to connect and to reflect on what’s important to them, as they look back at what boyhood meant to them and ahead to being a man. Through a creative group work process and the development of short piece of forum theatre, they'll share their own experiences and perspectives on masculinity, to surface some of the challenges and opportunities that young men today are facing.

The workshop will be delivered by Dan Boyden, an experienced theatre maker and social development expert who's worked in a variety of criminal justice and community settings throughout the UK, working with men to explore new and alternative ways of ‘being a man’. For two decades, Dan's worked globally with organisations using arts and creativity as tools for personal, social and structural change. He currently works with the British Council as a lead consultant designing their new global youth programme, and is co-director of international arts collective, AWE.

Previous experience of acting isn't necessary. Lunch and workshop materials provided.

Participants will leave the workshop having co-created a collaborative performance, with an opportunity to perform in front of a small and friendly audience.

Closed event for young people working with the charity MYTIME Young Carers.

Closed event for young people studying at Ferndown Upper School that are participating in the FUS Are Serious About Boys mentoring scheme.

Photography workshop in the Commercial Photography studios creating a series of images exploring what it means to be a boy.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is it you want to say? In this workshop, participants will engage with an art form that encourages experimentation, open-mindedness, and a risk-taking approach to creativity. Photography is a creative tool that celebrates pushing boundaries and provides individuals with a new platform to tell their stories.

Previous experience of photography isn't necessary. Lunch and workshop materials provided.
Participants will leave with a memory stick of photographs and printed images.

Brand-new for 2024 Transform will provide you with an insight into the professional, creative, and realistic world of special effects make-up. Through a series of demonstrations and practical applications, you'll be given the opportunities to engage and create small casualty stimulations.

In this workshop you'll be able to experiment with different make-up techniques and materials, learning a variety of injuries such as bruising, wounds and cuts, producing a realistic casualty specific scene for the make-up industry.

This workshop will introduce participants to the face as a canvas.

Previous experience with make-up is not necessary. Lunch and workshop materials provided. Participants will leave having explored using make-up techniques and photographs of their designs.

Illustration workshop creating skateboard deck designs, using collage, drawing and digital transformation, to explore the Being a Boy themes.

This workshop will introduce participants to the skateboard as a canvas for exciting graphic statements. The skateboard deck is a unique space that integrates illustration with movement and risk.

Participants will look back at the history of this object and also look forward to ways in which deck art can still surprise and delight.

Previous experience is not necessary. Lunch and workshop materials provided.
Participants will leave with a collection of illustrated designs.

This will be an opportunity to join the young men from the 2024 Being a Boy workshop series and their supporters to celebrate their creative successes and achievements, from all seven of the 2024 workshops: Identity, Character, Empower, Lift Off, Capture, Transform and Freestyle. 

Along with the premiere screening of our documentary, Being a Boy: Identity, which follows the experiences of the young men on the BA (Hons) Fashion Branding and Communication workshop in May 2024.  The event is free to attend and open to the public.

Read through our previous workshops and events to get a feel for what we've been up to.