#CYTHeart – Guest Blogger Laura Sambrooks

Guest Blog post from past member Laura Sambrooks

I joined CYT when I was 12 years old and it is no exaggeration to say my life changed massively from then onwards! I had previously tried another drama group but hadn’t lasted more than one day, however, I enjoyed every second of my first day at CYT and I would eagerly count down the days until the next session. I would always notice the difference between CYT and school, how much nicer CYT members were to each other than kids at school were, and how differences were celebrated rather than mocked.

I had always loved acting, but during my primary school years the roles in school plays always went to the loudest children and I was left out. My first performance for CYT was in, “The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb”, a brilliantly fun pantomime and I had a fantastic time. This was to be just the first of many performances and throughout my teenage years I had many great experiences at CYT, some of my best memories being from trips to perform in Austria and Spain.

As I’ve got older my role in the group has changed. Jane always takes an interest in the ambitions of her members and, knowing I have a love of writing, gave me the opportunity to write a play for an international theatre festival CYT were hosting (Everybody Dance Now). This was the first time I had ever written a play and nothing beats the experience of seeing your work being brought to life. Since then I have written two more plays for the group and most recently, a film set during the First World War, which has been a very exciting experience!

I currently work for CYT developing projects whilst continuing to write scripts. As I wrote this, I stopped to wonder what my teenage years would have been like if I hadn’t have heard of CYT, everything would have been completely different…which is a scary thought!

I think it’s a shame that over 30 years, and an MBE to Jane Ward later, CYT are still having to fight for survival. It’s a testimony to how well loved the group is and how many lives it has impacted that, so far, we have managed to survive the funding cuts that have virtually wiped out other youth groups in Wolverhampton. CYT has given me so much that it’s means a lot to me that the group can continue long into the future.