Secondary school workshops
From subject specialism to off-timetable days
African Activities are specialists in secondary school workshops, we have worked in hundreds of secondary schools across the UK. We have delivered events for a massive range from gifted and talented students to students at risk of exclusion. Our activities work well with mixed ability groups and can be topic/subject based or cover wider themes for arts weeks and Citizenship day events. Why not get in touch and have a chat about what we can do for you?
Disrupting Gender Stereotypes
Did you know that there are Matrilineal societies in West Africa where property descends through the female line? Did you know there is a strong history of female warriors in West Africa and the Caribbean? A rediscovery through discussion and debate.
Poverty Of Aspiration
An inspirational workshop based on drama, story and the drum. Whilst poverty of circumstance is higher in Africa poverty of aspiration is relatively unheard of. An exploration of the fear of succeeding in Britain and issues surrounding poor motivation.
Topic based
We have covered many issues and are happy to work with you. Previous topics include: Slavery, the creation of ‘Africa’, racism, Black people in Britain, The Windrush, South African emancipation and much more.
Drumming!
An engaging and fun way to get everyone working in rhythm. Everyone gets a drum to play on.
Dance!
High energy but easy to follow moves. A really fun way to get a full body workout!.
Storytelling/drama!
Painting
Working with Kwame who was the artist in residence at Ghana’s Centre For National Culture. Learn his unique style and recreate paintings with your own twist.
Pottery
Explore African traditional pottery artefacts and then set about making your own. Learn a simple coil technique and then use Adinkra to decorate your pots.
Recycling!
Learn about the world largest e-waste dump and turn milk bottles into useful objects, masks, elephants or birds.
Adinkra
Explore a wide variety of cloths from Ghana. Learn about Adinkra symbols and the proverbs they represent and make your own cloth to take home or form a large instillation within school.
Kente
Explore a wide variety of cloths from West African including Kente one of the most famous and expensive. Looms mean there is a 15 student limit for this workshop.
Trade Beads
Learn about the history of West Africas trade beads, explore some artefacts and make your own colourful beads from magazine and newspapers.
African Art Activities
A wide range of options from our professional African artists. Choose one of our tried and tested workshops or we are happy to work with you on a bespoke piece.
African Music Activities
A wide range of options including drum, song. shakers, bells, xylophones and much more. Learn about the musics historical and cultural context.
Things we can do for you
What can we offer?
WE ARE AWESOME AT THIS
As a Community Interest Company we are a non profit making body dedicated to the African arts in the UK. As such we work with the very best African artists available. A team of dedicated passionate professionals ready to make sure your event meets your needs.
Who we work for
We have practitioners across the UK and have numerous testimonials; from hundreds of schools. A huge range of schools from small to huge that include some of the most exclusive and under privileged schools in the UK.
OUR SUPPORT IS THE BEST
Our dedicated back office staff provide fast quotes for your Secondary School Workshop. We work with you providing timetable support to ensure that you get the best from your day.
How a secondary school workshop works
How do we timetable?
Our team will work with you to get the best outcome to reach your objectives.
A session can be from 7 separate classes a day or we can work intensively with one class.
How Many Students?
Maximum – 7 workshops or up to 420 students in a day with one art activity.
How Long is a Class?
We recommend classes of 60 minutes, though 40 is possible.
We are very happy to work on longer more in depth projects and instillations, as an artist in residence, or simply by working with one class for a full day.
Can We Mix Activities?
Depending on the practitioner available you may mix in as many activities as you have time for. There is no additional charge for this so why not follow an arty morning with a musical afternoon?
What Do You Need?
Very Little! We will bring all of the materials with us for your workshop. The exception to this is recycling. We can bring materials but we feel the collection is a valuable part of the process for the children
How Much is it?
Options run from 50p – £16 per student. Please fill out our quick quote form and we will get right back to you with a proposal.