A group of Level 3 Performing Arts students from MK College hosted a special showcase at Chaffron Way to mark White Ribbon Day. Timed to coincide with the awareness day on Tuesday 25^th November, the showcase runs across three days and forms part of a wider programme of activities taking place at the College this week.

The production is comprised of a number of hard-hitting vignettes around themes of violence and abuse. It explores the challenges young people face and aims to spark conversation and commitment to the White Ribbon pledge, aligning with this year’s theme: ‘We Speak Up.’ The students have taken ownership of every aspect of the production, from concept to execution, working closely with tutors, technicians, guest speakers, and local charities.

As a White Ribbon Accredited organisation, MK College Group stands with White Ribbon UK in taking action to end male violence against women and girls. We are delivering a comprehensive multi-year plan to transform our staff culture, systems and the wider community we operate in to make MK College Group a safe place for everyone and to educate staff and students on the issue.

The students also performed snippets of the play at the White Ribbon Day Employers’ Breakfast on White Ribbon Day at YMCA Milton Keynes. The event was a collaboration between MK College, YMCA Milton Keynes and Milton Keynes City Council and aimed to challenge myths about the White Ribbon campaign and introduce a new audience on how to be allies in challenging men’s violence against women and girls.

Ella, a Level 3 Performing Arts student participating in the play, said: “Working on this performance has been nothing less than amazing. Everyone in our class has developed such a strong bond, it’s made it so much easier to be creative and to work together.

“There are so many things to be learned from the play. After the performance, we’d like the audience members to maybe research into the topic and pledge their support to the White Ribbon campaign. It’s really important to address topics like men’s violence against women and girls in performances like this because some people still don’t know about it or know that it’s wrong – if they can’t see it’s wrong then nothing will change.”

Colin Bloxham, Course Team Leader for Performing Arts at MK College, said: “I wanted to showcase that our Performing Arts students have a voice and that our job as actors is to tell stories that support our communities.

“Our students have been phenomenal in their response to the topic. It’s been amazing to see their dedication to their individual parts and the performance, and seeing the final piece on stage has been really powerful. They’ve been able to get across the emotional impact of these issues in a way that they couldn’t achieve if it was just in a leaflet or on a poster – it’s a provocative piece of work where you’ll go away thinking about these issues in a different way.”

To learn more about our White Ribbon Accreditation, read more here.