Pearl Stewart
The closing months of our celebratory year has seen young saplings emerge of a new direction for the Pushkin programme involving the Secondary School Sector.
Aptly named the Pushkin Pathway, this innovative and unique scheme will involve in its first year two secondary schools, one rural and one urban, one controlled and one maintained. These forty-four young teenagers will initially follow the traditional Pushkin process as they work together with our environmentalists using Nature as their creative force to enable them to unlock their voice. They will explore the theme of Source on every level through Writing, Music and Drama workshops on three Baronscourt Days.
However, at Pushkin we feel that some of our young people need a sense of direction, a map for living as it were and so we intend to add another branch to the already flourishing Pushkin tree to incorporate and embrace an element of citizenship. It is at an embryonic stage but this pilot scheme will allow both schools to avail of the excellent resources and staff at the Nerve Centre (Londonderry) and use digital technology to record and share their experiences. They will also participate in exciting and stimulatory team and physical challenges in the fresh and inspirational air of Baronscourt with the hope and aspiration that our citizens of the future will embark on their journey through life with a mutual respect, affection and understanding of and for each other.