MK College students recognised for performance raising awareness of violence against women and girls

MK College, an approved UAL Awarding Body centre, recently received the Milton Keynes Inspiration Award for Best School/Creative Group for their work in Performing Arts!

The Milton Keynes Inspiration Awards celebrates the unsung heroes and trailblazers of the city, recognising the talent, innovation and inspiration in the local community.

Led by tutors Colin Bloxham and Mandy Clayfield, students at MK College produced a project called We Speak Up, a performance focused on challenging violence against women and girls. The piece was created in conjunction with the White Ribbon Campaign, a charity that works to end violence against women and girls.

The students performed We Speak Up in front of MPs and the Mayor of Milton Keynes, giving them the opportunity to take their creative work beyond the classroom and engage with their wider community.

By exploring violence against women and girls through performance, the students used their creative practice to engage with an important issue and encourage conversations around respect, consent and equality. To receive the award for Best School/Creative Group truly shows not only the power of the students’ performance, but the important role creative education plays in enabling expression and activism.

At UAL Awarding Body, we are proud to partner with centres like MK College who help learners excel in their creative studies. Currently, the students undertake the UAL Level 2 Diploma in Performing and Production Arts and the UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma in Performing Arts, designed to provide learners with the skills, knowledge and understanding necessary to progress to further study. The courses also provide training in a range of performing and production subjects, including acting, dance, musical theatre, stage production, stage design and more.

This is a huge achievement for MK College and we at UAL Awarding Body would like to offer our sincere congratulations to everybody involved, from teachers to students and their families. This award shows the pivotal role arts education can play for young creatives to express themselves, host difficult conversations and inspire change for a brighter tomorrow.

Colin Bloxham, Course Team Leader for Performing Arts at MK College, explains: "We are incredibly proud to have received the Milton Keynes Inspiration Award for Best School or Creative Group. This recognition reflects the dedication, creativity, and hard work of our students, who consistently use the performing arts as a platform to explore important social issues and engage with the wider community. Our most recent devised performance "We Speak Up," demonstrated the power of theatre to inspire conversation and drive positive change.

Working with UAL Awarding Body qualifications has given our students the flexibility and creative freedom to develop ambitious, meaningful projects while building the professional and collaborative skills needed for progression into higher education and the creative industries. The qualification structure supports both artistic development and personal growth, enabling our learners to achieve outstanding outcomes and realize their potential."

Watch the full performance of We Speak Up here.