Anti Hate Crime production tours schools to raise awareness of bullying

A POWERFUL theatre production is making its way through schools as part of Hate Crime Awareness Week and LGBTQ History Month.

Funded by Tameside Council’s Community Safety Partnership, ‘OutLoud’ has been created and delivered by Hive North. It is an anti-bullying and hate crime program, which uses the powerful tool of real-life theatre to spark important conversations with young people about identity, discrimination, and community safety.

Targeted at Key Stage 3 children, each session consists of a 30-minute play followed by a facilitated workshop, led by a trained cast of actor-educators.

The content within OutLoud draws directly from lived experience, local voices, and current events - making it a dynamic, relevant, and highly engaging intervention for schools across Tameside. Shaped in partnership with Tameside Youth Service and LGBTQ+ youth groups.

The play and workshop sessions will focus on:

• Homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, and broader discrimination
• The use of inappropriate and discriminatory language
• Cyberbullying and digital safety
• Hate crime awareness and reporting
• LGBTQ+ identity, role models, and allyship

By tackling hate crime and discrimination through peer education, the project supports the safeguarding of vulnerable young people, especially those from LGBTQ+ communities.                                                           

The workshop aims to prevent harmful attitudes and behaviors at an early stage and create a culture of empathy, inclusion, and peer accountability in Tameside schools

Tameside Council Executive Member Cllr Stephen Homer, who is responsible for community safety, said: “It is great that such a powerful interactive workshop will be reaching students in Tameside. The team covers such important and relevant topics and guides the students to understand the impact of hate crime and the importance of respect and inclusion. Reaching young people at this pivotal age plays a vital role in shaping a more welcoming and safer community.”