Guest Blog Post – Katie & Hannah Rooney – Young Leaders

Katie Rooney

For me, the young leaders training programme has been a very valuable experience. It has allowed me to learn how to run a workshop appropriately but has done so in a fun environment, making the sessions entertaining as well as informative. Each week we learnt about a new aspect of workshopping, such as how to deal with “problem participants” or how to manage a group effectively to avoid conflict. Our director Holly allowed us to practice what we learnt in a practical context, by letting us lead elements of the session such a group games. We were then able to critique our technique and give constructive improvements, which I thought were very valuable to the educational side of the programme. Because of the sessions, I now feel comfortable leading groups and understand how to deliver information to a range of different audiences and help all participants to engage in sessions comfortably. However, I still had a fantastic time spending my tuesday evenings with the group having a laugh and I’d like to thank Holly for taking the time to facilitate us doing so.

Hannah Rooney

Everyone knows that training courses can usually be abit… dull. But when I signed up for Young Leaders, I knew CYT would be able to make it extremely enjoyable as well as informative. And I was right! As well as developing my skills and ability to become a self sufficient leader, I also had so many laughs and funny moments along the way. Myself and many others now have the confidence and knowledge of how to lead a drama workshop or a more specific activity whilst making it enjoyable for yourself and others around you. These skills were definitely put to the test when we had to lead a group of juniors for a session. This session was extremely fun and engaging for all and clearly showed us how far we had come since starting the course and emphasised our newly found skills and abilities. I can honestly recommend this course to any CYT member as it was just so fun as well as being extremely beneficial for your future, as the skills you learn and confidence you grow can be applied to a variety of different situations, not just within drama. It was highlight of my Tuesdays and it’s true to say it will be greatly missed by all. Thank you to CYT for giving me such a great opportunity