The BBC's 'Share Your Story' Visits TPA

BBC's 'Share Your Story' Visits TPA

The BBC ‘Share Your Story’ tour visited TPA today, 6th of October, as part of the BBC’s centenary celebrations. As an ‘innovative’ and ‘inclusive school’, TPA was chosen as one of a select group of schools to take part in this event. There were 4 sessions attended by students in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10.

In the presentation, students listened intently as Gail-Marie Shapter and Xander Keith shared how they overcame significant obstacles in their lives. Gail-Marie shared her story in the form of a fairytale, telling students about her challenges with health, family, and bullying throughout her childhood. Despite her trials and tribulations, she had a successful career as a performer London's West End and she’s now living her best life as a Team Assistant for Children in Need. Xander, who works in production management, told students about how the death of his childhood friend, James, from cancer, affected his mental health and led him to the depths of a deep depression. In his darkest moment, he found the strength to reach out for help which allowed him to take steps to start his recovery.

After the presenters told their stories, students had the opportunity to ask questions, talking into a ruby ball shaped microphone. The stories really captivated the students' attention and in the Year 8 session, students asked the presenters a series of thoughtful questions such as:

What message would you give to those struggling at school?

What advice do you have for people who have family or friends with cancer?

When you lose someone and you want to burst into tears, how do you be strong for your family?

Miss Devoil, Lead Practicioner for English and Literacy, who organised the event with the BBC said:

At times, the stories were incredibly emotional and the experiences were really hard to hear. I know that some of the stories shared really resonated with both staff and students, so it was just wonderful to witness the respect shown towards the speakers – you could have heard a pin drop in many of our sessions today.

Our students proved both their resilience and integrity today. They showed real maturity in the level of their questioning with some of the questions actually resulting with Xander in tears. I was overwhelmed by the level of compassion shown by TPA today .

This event really demonstrated the power of telling your story and students came away with from the event with messages of hope and resilience. By communicating and sharing our struggles, we can support each other to get through whatever challenges come our way. Thank you from all of us at TPA to Gail-Marie and Xander for sharing their stories!