Teesside children to learn about abusive behaviours and exploitation
A play is going around schools across Stockton and Hartlepool
Last updated 1st May 2025
Schoolchildren in Teesside are being encouraged to open up conversations about sexual abuse and exploitation.
A theatre play is touring around Stockton and Hartlepool to educate Year 7s, 8s and 9s.
There will also be workshops so kids will be able to recognise healthy and unhealthy relationships.
Jessica Robson, creative producer and director of Night Light Theatre, said: "So this play explores issues around child sexual abuse, child sexual exploitation, healthy and unhealthy relationships. It's used as a tool to help open up conversations with young people and we'll be going around secondary schools delivering this play to Year 7s, 8s and 9s.
"We're getting the young people to think about the worries and concerns they have for the characters and then we explore in a drama workshop the intervention moments of how a young person can have a positive moment of change, support and help them identify people that are trusted in their lives that they can go and speak to, have confidence in that they'll be able to support and signpost them if they're in any of those situations.
"We've seen the impact and the benefit that this play has to young people in the past and actually young people were disclosing months later, and the tag line 'it's not OK' as it was coming up in young people's diaries so they used that to disclose to a teacher. It's really important work.
"It's good to kind of unpack that language with the young people and open those discussions so it doesn't feel taboo but also, it doesn't just help the young people, it also helps teachers in the school and people that might work with the young people to have a joint understanding so that they can support the young people and feel more confident themselves with those conversations."