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Lizzie Lovejoy

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Project
A is for Amy

Toxic teen relationships and fabulous friendships! A powerful play to support young people to recognise red flags and signpost friends to specialist support.

Domestic Abuse

A quarter of 13-17 year old girls experience relationship abuse (the highest of any age group) whilst teenage referrals to support services are lower than the number affected (Safelives), indicating missed support needs.

Project purpose

We developed A is for Amy to equip young people to:

  • be on the lookout for their peers

  • understand the red flags of unhealthy relationships

  • know where to access support

We also aimed to enhance adult support for their wellbeing.

Project Outcomes

A is for Amy led to disclosures of domestic abuse, enabling adults to identify need and put support in place. It led young people to end controlling relationships, including a children’s home resident who “found it relatable and made her understand she won’t try to deal with things herself if it happened again.”

Demand was such that we are in the planning stages of creating a high-quality stage-to-film version (with accompanying creative learning programme) to make A is for Amy available to more young people on an ongoing basis.

Of the young people who saw A is for Amy and took part in our workshop:

  • 83% increased how much they knew about domestic abuse

  • 86% felt more comfortable talking about the subject

  • 94% were more confident they could recognise a friend’s toxic relationship

  • 90% felt more confident about approaching a friend they were concerned about in a helpful way

  • 82% had a much greater knowledge of where to access support

How we brought the
project to life

The inspiration for the project

Young readers of our Sometimes it Hurts story series wanted to know what next for the characters in the stories. Amy’s story depicts a young person escaping an abusive home to move in with a boyfriend whose charm gradually turns to control. We developed A is for Amy to explore how Amy might be able to leave this toxic relationship.

The co-production process

A is for Amy (written & directed by Associate Artist Zoe Murtagh) was co-produced with young people from Creative Youth Opportunities and Auckland Youth and Community Centre to explore teen experiences of domestic abuse, the support available and how friends can look out for one another’s wellbeing. The project was supported by a steering group with domestic abuse expertise, including Harbour and Durham County Council.

Testing, sharing and learning

We held 3 productions of A is for Amy at The Little Theatre with 320 audience members. Young people came with a variety of organisations (mainstream schools, alternative education providers, informal education settings), some of whom trialled our linked arts-based workshop. Evaluation of this pilot was used to shape the follow-on project, Amy Meets Rabbits, in which we created a filmed version of the play.

Take a look at the trailer of our A is for Amy film and get in touch to book the linked learning programme.

Get in touch

Our
Impact

 “We came away feeling that it was a very powerful piece of drama… I think drama and the arts is such a useful way to engage young people about these important topics.”

Acorns

“The young people I supported told me they found the performance easy to relate to and powerful. On the journey home the young people opened-up about their own experiences. I think being an observer on the situation gave them a completely new perspective. I thought this production was absolutely fantastic….If it was to show again I would definitely bring young people and encourage others to do the same…It was brilliant, please continue to produce such amazing education.”

North Tyneside SEND Forum

“Pupils spoke about how they had not realised that some of their behaviours displayed were abusive, but now they understand that they are.”

The Grange Learning Centre

“Today’s workshop was engaging and delivered superbly, and it’s created the space for some essential conversations both in and out of the session. The students carried on discussing much of the content into the afternoon.”

George Stephenson High School

Related materials

Sometimes it Hurts

Access our Pay As You Feel Sometimes it Hurts stories and creative resources to help you support young people navigating challenges at home. These tools can also be used to support classroom learning about healthy relationships, coping strategies and support-seeking.

Find out more

What Would You Do

Purchase a digital or hard copy of our Sexting-themed educator toolkit What Would You Do? This comes with a short film co-created with young people and can be used to develop understanding around the laws, risks and consequences associated with sending intimate images.

Find out more