This exciting new partnership will see collaborative work on future projects, focusing on themes that affect The Big House members.
Date: 7 October 2021
London Met is proud to announce a new working partnership with The Big House, an Islington based charity that supports 16-25-year-old care leavers, using a combination of drama, skills development, mentoring and counselling to help them build the skills, aspirations and resilience to lead fulfilling, independent lives.
Through this exciting new partnership, with both organisations agreeing to a five-year programme, The Big House will provide work placements for London Met students to improve their employability skills and support The Big House; discount student tickets for their in-house theatre productions; and form strong links with London Met’s social work and education department, with the intention of broadening those connections across departments.
In turn, London Met will provide support for care leavers wanting to attend university; create care leave ambassadors; provide The Big House with access to London Met’s new Charities and Social Enterprises Clinic for bespoke support; promote The Big House productions; and London Met’s Estates Team will assist The Big House with their events, including their upcoming Gala.
Furthermore, the partnership will see collaborative work on future projects, focusing on themes that affect The Big House members. Workshops delivered by academics from London Met’s Centre for Life Writing and Oral History (CLiOH) will help support The Big House beneficiaries to create engaging digital content.
Maggie Norris, CEO and Artistic Director at The Big House, said: "The Big House is excited to partner with London Met and work closely with an organisation that shares a similar ethos. It’s a brilliant opportunity to strengthen our community relationships and continue to help disadvantaged young people thrive.”
Donna Jones, Head of Social Work at London Met, said: “This amazing theatre company has been a favourite of mine for several years, and I have supported all their productions because the stories they tell are powerful and real.
“I am thrilled that having introduced them to London Met in my capacity as Head of Social Work, we have now entered into a mutually beneficial working partnership. I am looking forward to my social work students and the London Met community continuing to benefit from their exciting performances.”
Sophie Cloutterbuck, Director of London Engagement, said: “We’re delighted to announce this new partnership with The Big House Theatre, and I’m excited to see how our partnership develops over the next five years. This partnership will enable co-created digital community engagement and unique opportunities for our staff and students to engage with the Big House.”
