Mortal Fools

Mortal Fools is an award-winning theatre, drama and creative learning company using drama and creative interventions to co-create with 1000s of children and young people annually, supporting their wellbeing, development of life skills and enhancing employability. We cultivate safe spaces for creative bravery whilst empowering each young person to scaffold towards a fruitful future.

Mortal Fools’ purpose is to support people to have better quality inter-personal relationships with one another and use theatre and drama-based activities as the methodology to achieve this. We develop our skills, knowledge and approach through dynamic multi-sector partnerships (Youth, Community, Health and Arts and Culture), jointly co-constructing work to meet the contemporary needs of children and young people.

We are a company of participatory artists and practitioners who are committed to co-creating compelling, dynamic, socially-relevant and high-quality theatre-based work with children, young people and communities.

For more information on Mortal Fools head to our website: www.mortalfools.org.uk and/or check us out on social media via: @mortalfoolsuk

Melva: Mental Health Education through storytelling

MELVA is Mortal Fools award winning creative, web-based programme to use in primary school aged settings, using storytelling as a high impact engagement tool to improve children’s knowledge and understanding of mental health and wellbeing and self-management techniques.

Through creative storytelling, engaging characters, and practical activities, children learn about how to recognise, understand, talk about and manage their mental wellbeing and deal with their ‘worrits’.

The Melva programme focuses on early intervention for children aged 7-11 (Key Stage 2), using recognised and recommended mental health first aid strategies, communicated in a child-friendly and accessible way.

Melva is for all children, not just those who are struggling.

It focuses on teaching children the basic skills and understanding they need to keep themselves well, whatever challenges they might face in the future; supporting them to develop resilience pathways and positive emotional responses and relationships.

As of November 2022, it is estimated that at least 1 in 6 children aged 7-16 are likely to have a diagnosable mental health condition. That’s an average of 5 children per classroom. Therefore, it has never been more important for us to find new ways to talk to and teach children about mental wellbeing from an early age; Melva is a high impact, meaningful and innovative way for folks engaging with young people aged 7-11years to do just that!

Find out more about Melva via: www.melva.org.uk

CONNECT: Teacher CPD

CONNECT is a training and professional development programme for organisations, teams, and individuals. It’s also a core income strand for us as children’s charity supporting children and young people’s wellbeing and employability.

Our headline teacher CPD sessions that we are often booked for are as follows:

·        Emotional Resilience: Staff Mental Health & Wellbeing

·        Managing Difficult Conversations

·        Bringing Creativity Into The Classroom

·        Measuring Wellbeing In The Classroom via PERMA

Free mental health activity programme funded by North of Tyne Combined Authority. Click below to view.

For more information about our teacher CPD email: Rachel.Horton@mortalfools.org.uk