As adults, we know that some of life’s greatest experiences come from stepping outside of our comfort zone, trying new activities and learning new skills.  We also know it can be daunting to take that first step, but the benefits of doing so far outweigh the initial nervousness.
 
But many children are hesitant to try new things, especially children who are shy and lack confidence. In today’s every-changing world, where kids face will face more challenging workplaces in the future, being open to learning new skills is extremely important. So, how do we get our children to try new activities?
 
Give encouragement
One of the most important things we can do as parents is encourage our children. It’s understandable that they’re worried about failing or being embarrassed, but without parental assurance and encouragement, some kids will never try anything new. Talk to your child about their fears or reluctance and never criticise their feelings. Tell them about some of the feelings and experiences you had as a child about trying something new, so they understand that everyone has a bit of fear when it comes to trying a new activity.
 
Inspire confidence
When they do agree to try a new activity, praise their courage in doing so. Talk to them about times they tried something before that they were afraid of and ended up loving it. Remind them that they would never have discovered that new thing had they not given it a try in the first place.
 
Do new things together
If your child is nervous about trying something new on their own, forcing them to do so won’t help them overcome their fear. Instead, do something with them. Join an art class together, take up tennis, visit the theatre, go rock climbing; there are endless things you can do with them. And make it fun for them. Your presence and your enthusiasm will help encourage them to give it a go on their own.
 
Bring a friend
Children are often more confident when they have a friend with them. They don’t feel alone or uncomfortable among strangers in an unfamiliar situation. Having a friend beside them makes it a lot more fun for them and helps empower them to be themselves. Even if both children are shy, they will gain more courage and confidence being together.
 
Seeing is believing
If your child shows an interest in something like drama, for example, or if you’d like to encourage your child in drama, visiting the theatre will help inspire them. The friendly team at The Young Company theatre in Cairns will happily organise a tour of their venue and a meet and greet with the team to help put your child at ease. This gives your child the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the theatre and meet others who have similar interests and whose enthusiasm is sure to rub off!

With the summer school holidays quickly approaching, parents are asking that age-old question: ‘What can we do with the kids over the summer holidays to keep them entertained?’.
 
While it’s fantastic for kids to get a break from school (and parents love the break too!), we don’t want our kids getting bored, sitting around the house all day on their phones, computers or tablets.
 
Not all parents can take the entire Christmas and summer school holidays off from work, and if they can, they’re out busily shopping for Christmas (unless they’re super organised!). So, the secret is to find the perfect school holiday program for your children, one that they actually really enjoy.
 
While you think that it might be a challenge (especially if you have teenagers), it’s actually not, thanks to the school holiday programs at The Young Company (TYC) theatre. The programs, held from 9am to 3pm, are divided into two groups – ages five-12 (four days a week) and ages 10-18 (five days a week) and will be held in December and January.
 
TYC’s programs are all about giving children and young people the opportunity to be creative, keep their minds active over the summer school break, help them develop their communication skills and, at the same time, make new friends from different schools and different age groups.
 
The programs are designed, created and delivered by the TYC team of qualified drama educators and professional theatre practitioners. Yasmin Lancini, who played the lead role of Elphaba in the Cairns Choral Society’s production of Wicked, will be leading the senior program these summer school holidays, and well-known artist Hayley Gillespie will be helping students learn costume design. 
 
“The programs are lots of fun and sees participants make new friends while also improving on their acting skills, self-confidence, problem-solving abilities, communication and presentation skills,” said TYC founder and managing director Leigh Boswell. “Not only do they have a lot of fun, they learn at the same time.”
 
At the end of each program, students will perform in productions for friends and family members with the junior program holding four productions and the seniors five.
 
The five-12 age group will perform Holiday Hullabaloo: A Despicable Christmas Eve (December 10-13), Merry Grinch-mas: A Who-Tastic Holiday (December 17-20). Super Sonic Clash: A Digital Diabolical Meltdown (January 7-10), the Marvellous Mayhems: The Roald Dahl Expedition (January 14-17) and the Magic Voyage: To Fantasia and Beyond (January 21-24).
 
​The 10-18 age students will perform A Seussified Christmas Carol: The Musical (December 10-14), Phantom of the Soap Opera: The Musical (December 17-21), All Aboard for Broadway: The Musical (January 14-18) and Rock Bottom: Flinstones The Musical (January 21-25).
 
The programs start December 12 and run until January 25, with a two-week break over the Christmas period.
 
For more information, contact TYC on 4041 4066.

Meeting people from all walks of life, cultures and age groups gives us some of life’s most enriching experiences. With today’s social media domination, where people are increasing their interaction through their phones and computer screens, it’s more important than ever to meet new people face to face.
 
Whether performing on stage or working behind the scenes, being involved in community theatre is not only a fantastic way to build confidence and learn new skills, it is also the perfect place to make new friends.
 
Youth theatre, like The Young Company (TYC), has been bringing young people together for 10 years, sparking hundreds of friendships.
 
“It’s wonderful to see so many people across all ages working and having fun together,” TYC founder and general manager Leigh Boswell said. “The bonds and friendships formed in theatre and at TYC always last a very long time.
 
“We are passionate about using each moment and interaction to promote friendships amongst our region’s children and young people while consistently affirming how highly valued each individual person is within their community.”
 
TYC, which teaches students from prep page to 25, has a wide range of school, after-school and school-holiday programs. In learning about acting, writing, directing and all aspects of productions, the students also develop life-long skills such as creative thinking, self-confidence and social skills.
 
Evelyn McGuinness said she was shy before joining TYC, which affected her school life.
 
"I started at TYC as a timid person,” she said. “I wasn't good at speaking up or making friends, and I had a hard time at school. My experience at TYC is one that I will cherish forever. Not only did the team help me grow out of my shell but also become the bubbly, bright and positive person I am today.”
 
TYC, a not-for-profit theatre company, showcase young talent at the end of each semester, during school holiday programs and also during term time for its main-stage productions and community events. It also holds a Headstart Program, working with schools to help young students prepare for transition to high school through developing a sense of community belonging.
 
“Young people learn so many valuable life-long skills and gain great self-confidence when they’re involved in theatre,” Leigh said. “But one of the most important benefits of being involved in the theatre is the genuine friendships formed.”

​Developing creative and innovative skills in children and young adults gives them a variety of valuable life skills they’ll use forever, but how exactly how do we teach our children these important skills?
 
One of the best and most enjoyable ways to inspire creativity in young people is by having them involved in youth theatre, like The Young Company (TYC).
 
Sparking and developing children’s imagination by being involved in all aspects of theatre (from behind the scenes through to on-stage performances) enables them to think creatively, which is a life-long skill that gives them the ability to invent and create solutions in all aspects of their lives.
 
With a small financial budget to work with, students involved in youth theatre are hands-on in creating their own costumes. Theatre groups like TYC offer costume-making sessions where students recycle existing items of clothes and accessories in the costume wardrobe to create their character’s outfits.
 
Same with set designs. Again, a limited budget means students learn to use existing tools and props to create the right settings.
 
“Creating their own costumes and helping come up with set-design ideas are skills that transfer through to adulthood,” said TYC founder and general manager Leigh Boswell. “They’re using their imagination, learning to problem solve with the resources they have and learning to think outside the box. These are skills that have greatly benefit today’s leaders, entrepreneurs and successful businesspeople.”
 
Research has shown the creative people find easier ways around problems and challenges because they see things differently and are better able to adapt to changing environments.
It’s also shown that creativity reduces stress and anxiety. 
 
“Kids can make anything with their imagination,” Leigh said. “They can turn an empty box into a car or a castle or create a new costume from a box of old clothes. Youth theatre awakens and helps develop their imaginations and creativity, which are traits that will be an asset for them throughout their lives.”

As parents, we want the best for our children – plenty of good food, a loving home, comfy clothes and a career that will bring them happiness. And, if our children show a career interest early on in life, we do our best to support them.

But what if your child decides they want to be an actor? As adults, we know that acting is a challenging field to break into, especially in this day of reality TV and YouTube where non-talented people can become celebrities. 

But if your child is really keen, there is a way for them to learn all about the industry before they become adults, helping them decide if acting really is the career choice for them.

Youth theatre, like The Young Company (TYC), is a perfect place to introduce your child to the world of acting, although they have experienced a similar dramatic activity before they even started school through make-believe play.

With a young theatre group, children learn the different aspects of the acting spectrum such as getting into character, memorising lines, learning to speak clearly and performing on stage to a live audience, to name just a few of the industry skills they learn.

TYC is perfect for all ages. It provides a variety of programs from beginner to advanced for children and young adults from preschool age to 25 years old. It also has in-school and school-holiday programs, showcases young talent through productions throughout the year and even has a red-carpet awards night each year.

There are many world-famous actors like Colin Firth and Daniel Craig who showed an interest in acting at a young age, which led them to join a youth theatre (National Youth Theatre). Colin was just 10 years old when he started attending drama workshops before deciding to be a professional actor at just 14, while Daniel began acting in school plays at the age of six before and continued acting in high school performances. 

While your child may not become a famous actor like Colin and Daniel, they have a chance to get a taste of the acting world, perform with a professional youth theatre group in front of an audience and see if acting really is for them. If it is, you just never know - your child could be the next OO7!

Having self-confidence is not something that comes naturally to everyone. It can be even more challenging for children and young adults these days, especially in this social media era where digitally altered pictures can make anyone look like a model and everyone can pretend to life a dream life.

As parents and educators, we want our children to have the confidence needed to succeed in life. Real confidence, that is. We want them to be self-assured within themselves, develop genuine friendships, not be afraid to voice their thoughts and opinions and have the courage to achieve anything they want to accomplish.

One of the best ways to increase your child’s confidence across all aspects of their life is to involve them in youth community theatre, such as The Young Company (TYC) in Cairns, which is celebrating its 10th birthday this year. Acting, singing, dancing and learning all aspects of costume design, stage construction and sound and lighting production gives children and young adults a wealth of life-long skills and knowledge that are invaluable.

Acting is a great way for children to step outside of their comfort zone in a safe environment. While they may normally be shy to speak in front of a group of people, playing a character in a play allows them to “pretend” to be someone else, which breaks down their fear of speaking in front of large audiences and being judged by others. 

Instils pride
It doesn’t matter if a child is acting, singing, dancing or working behind the scenes in a theatre production, children involved in theatre all have a common goal of achieving a successful result. And working together as group is one of the best ways for children to feel a great sense of accomplishment. That sense of pride and confidence is then carried into other areas of their lives.

Making new friends
Being part of a theatre group gives children the perfect opportunity to make new friends across different age groups with people who aren’t normally part of social circles. Being part of a production is a collaborative experience where everyone works together. It gives children a safe, fun and encouraging environment to try new things without being judged because everyone is working together for the same result. 

Improves academic life
Research has shown that acting and being involved in theatre helps children improve their academic performances. They develop improved listening, reading, comprehension and social skills which are huge benefits in their school life.

Give your child a genuine and long-lasting confidence boost by enrolling them in The Young Company. Phone 4041 4066 for more details on how you can set your child on the path towards a successful and confident future.
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