Making Generation R

About the programme

Making Generation R is an annual course that continues to inspire and motivate by training Blesma Members in story-telling and public speaking, enabling them to take their stories of overcoming adversity to schools, community groups, workplaces, First responders and other Frontline Services. This in turn benefits their listeners, helping them to deal with every issues and challenges they face in their own lives.

Blesma Members – each of whom has an incredible story waiting to be told, put themselves forward for the training before embarking on an intensive 5-day training course delivered by West End theatre professionals and public speaking trainers from The Drive Project. They help them to craft their personal stories of disaster and triumph in an engaging way before going out and sharing them in the community with the purpose of inspiring resilience against adversity in their audiences.

These talks and workshops are effective in helping listeners develop strategies to deal with everyday issues and better support themselves in future.

The aim is to:

• Inspire those who are listening
• Understand what it is to overcome adversity and promote how to be resilient
• Encourage healthy behaviours
• Improve their interpersonal skills and relationships
• Improve confidence, self-esteem and equip listeners with the tools to recognise helpful and unhelpful coping strategies in themselves and others

Our success in Schools

• All teachers (100%) said their pupils were more motivated and positive, and inspired for a long time after the workshop, and almost all teachers (94%) stated the workshop was effective in developing their students’ grit and determination.
• Nearly all students (90%) felt inspired by the workshops and felt that it might help them deal with personal difficulties (96%).
• Nine in 10 members of the Audience (88%) felt more resilient as a result of taking part and 95% felt they had a better understanding of how to overcome adversities.

The workshops also help Veterans adjust to civilian life and offer a way for them to make a positive contribution to their local communities.

Some Members have never spoken about their injuries in public, whereas some are already seasoned motivational speakers. All of them – regardless of background, experience or injury – learn something valuable, some have even called it ‘a kind of therapy’ that has allowed them to reconcile their trauma in their minds. All of the Veteran participants in 2017 described the project as being ‘very effective’ or ‘effective’ in developing their self-esteem, self-expression, confidence and communication. 

To book a workshop please visit www.makinggenerationr.com 

I felt that hearing Blesma Members’ stories would help and inspire kids, I understand the peer pressure, adversity and bullying they go through so I wanted to do my bit.

Making Generation R Participant , Nigel Woodward

How do I sign up as a speaker?

If you’re a Member interested in taking part in Making Generation R register your interest with Tuesday Critchfield by emailing info@makinggenerationr.com or calling 07384257472.