Ha'Happy New Year 2022

It’s 2022 and we’re kicking the year off with exciting news of new projects, free workshops for schools, revamped youth club and plenty more in store fuelled by all things Feeling Funny. We’re sorry we’ve been quiet over the last year however our team have been working hard to put together a programme of titter terrific comedy content for you all to enjoy this year.

Okay okay, we’ll stop with the terrible puns and get to business. Here’s what we have in store over the next year so far:

Laughter After Loss:

Laughter After Loss is a new pilot project inspired by our cornerstone mental health support programme Feeling Funny, engaging with adults living and working in Liverpool to support their grieving journey through the power of laughter. Our programme aims to:

Improve mood and promote feelings of happiness
Reduce stress and anxiety
Increase awareness and understanding of bereavement and grieving through the platform of comedy
Enhance communication skills to help with discussing difficult to access topics such as mental health
Improve and build relationships and create new friendships
Create safe, accessible and light-hearted spaces that help to address isolation and encourage community cohesion between like-minded peers

We understand people will be on different stages of their journey through grief, therefore we’ve designed a number of different activities for bereaved adults to part in to support their mental health, these include:

A Weekly Drop In Group: Our weekly drop in group will create a safe, inclusive space that is designed to help bring together like-minded bereaved adults to create connections, encourage open conversation surrounding the challenges of loss accompanied by a range of humour activities and approaches to promote healing. Our drop in session will also feature pastoral support for individuals needing additional support and guidance in how they are feeling. We will be hosting 2 taster workshops on the 25th of January and 1st of February (12.30pm – 1.30pm) @ Liverpool’s Royal Court Theatre To sign up please email info@thecomedytrust.com

Well Funny Workshops: Well Funny workshops will visit various community groups and care homes across the city to provide light relief of stress, low mood and anxiety whilst equipping attendees with tips to support their resilience through the power of laughter. We have received funding to cover the costs of 10 Well Funny Workshops across the city, if you wish to book a session for your centre or organisation please contact charlene@thecomedytrust.com

9 week Comedy Course & Campaign: Channel your experiences through comedic art forms by joining us on our 9 week Comedy Course and campaign. Our free to access comedy course is designed to engage with bereaved adults that feel they are at a stage in their recovery where they are confident to utilise their experiences to promote social change through the creation of a comedy sketch routine that will be performed to an invited audience and run as an online comedy campaign normalising grief and all the emotions that come with grief.

Days out and experiences: On top of all that we will be hosting 5 days out / experiences in the city for bereaved adults to provide light relief and to meet like-minded peers whilst sharing a much needed giggle. To register your interest taking part in our course and days out / experiences please email our team on info@thecomedytrust.com This project would not be possible without the support from the Liverpool City Council pledging support for mental health support programmes across the city.

Boss Your Future:

With thanks to support from The Tilney Fund & Blue Sky Foundation we are launching a brand new employability programme with a twist. Our 12 week creative comedy project is designed to complement existing employability services in the area to provide a creative, light-hearted and accessible platform that will enable 12 young people/adults aged 16 - 30 years old to improve their resilience, confidence, self-esteem, personal and professional skills. Supporting their personal growth to feel more comfortable and confident venturing back into the world or work and / or education. So what's involved?

Comedy Course: Confidence and team building with a twist, across 6 weeks you'll learn how to write and perform your very own stand-up comedy routine culminating to an audience of invited family, friends and peers. There's no pressure to perform, being part of the course will enable you to boost your confidence, feel better in yourself, meet new like-minded peers and improve skills such as writing, communication and presentation that can be used in the world of work
Personal Skills Review: We're always our own worst critics. We live through our lives gaining a plethora of personal and professional skills, expertise and knowledge that can be utilised across industries. Our personal skills review will enable you to realise your full potential whilst identifying how these can be translated into different aspects of our life.
Interview Skills: Interviews *shudders intensely* am I right? Interviews are often daunting and overwhelming. We want to try and take away those pressures by providing a fun and engaging workshop that changes the way we perceive interviews, gain new skills in speech, presentation and interview techniques to conquer your next interview.
CV Skills & CV Review: There's no escaping them in the world of work unfortunately so we'll be bringing in CV experts to give you the low down on all things CV writing following by a CV review to support you in venturing into your next job.
Motivational Speaker Sessions: Welcome to our TCT Talk...not quite a Ted Talk but we're funnier so that's okay. We'll be inviting Motivational Speakers to join us on the programme talking about how they've overcome some of the most challenging aspects in their lives to educate, inspire and encourage a laugh of two.

Accessible CV’s:

Last year we began our Accessible CV programme. Established to respond to the growing need for more accessible recruitment practises in the workplace inspired by young people’s voices and experiences. This year we will be putting together and designing our very own toolkit that can be distributed to local schools and community organisations that wish to support people living with a learning difficulty and disability to venture into the world of work. This programme would not be possible without our fabulous partners Sarah Spoor and Sandfield Park School, Disability Advocate Harry Georgiou and Dr Marie Caslin from Liverpool Hope University. Stay tuned….. Supported by: Hemby Trust, Big Help Group UK, LCVS, Growth Platform Liverpool

Feeling Funny Youth:

Our Feeling Funny youth programme is set to venture out again across the Liverpool City Region supporting young people’s (aged 11 – 18) mental health, confidence, self-esteem and resilience. With thanks to the Liverpool One Foundation and Garfield Weston Foundation throughout 2022 we are able to offer our programmes at low to no cost for local youth organisations and schools:

FREE Well Funny Workshops: We have 16 free Well Funny workshops available to host throughout the year to local youth groups, community centres and schools. If you’re looking for a light-hearted, fun and engaging workshop to boost mood, combat stress levels and encourage creativity and connections look no further. To book a session for your students or centre members contact charlene@thecomedytrust.com
Stand Up Comedy Course: Across 7 weeks we’ll teach young people how to write, develop and perform their very own stand-up comedy routines to an invited audience of family and friends. The course provides the perfect platform to combat taboo topics such as mental health through the lens of comedy enabling them to openly share their story in a light-hearted way whilst supporting personal growth, enhancing confidence and self-esteem and creating/improving connections with their peers in an engaging and accessible setting. If you feel your students or youth groups would benefit from this support, enquire today: charlene@thecomedytrust.com
Monthly Comedy Club: Our free to access Youth Comedy Club continues to take place every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month. Our safe, inclusive and accessible group is open for ages 11 – 18. Members will work towards shows throughout the year, attend masterclasses, visits to comedy shows and learn about all things comedy. Our club is also running weekly in St Helen's with thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund.

Sign up today: charlene@thecomedytrust.com Next Session... LIVERPOOL: 19th of January, 5 – 7pm @ Quaker Meeting House Liverpool. ST HELEN'S: 11th of January, 5 - 7pm @ MD Creatives, St Helen's

Liverpool Comedy Festival:

A festival full of laughter is what we all need right about now, we’re still in the process of planning for the festival this year so unfortunately you’ll have to hang onto your seats for more information on how you can sink your teeth into all things comedy. One key change to note is that we are waving goodbye to our September dates and moving our festival into late October to coincide with our annual Doddy Day celebration.

Doddy Day:

This year’s Doddy Day celebrations are scheduled for October – Novvember 2022, keep an eye on www.doddyday.com for more details as dates and events are confirmed. Stay tuned for all things festival and Doddy Day, we’ll be revealing more over the next few months….

As always, on top of our annual funded programmes we will be running open courses, events and workshops that can be booked. For more information on our open programmes or to book wellbeing workshops, public speaking workshops or talks for events as part of our Happy Healthier Employers programme get in touch today – sam@thecomedytrust.com

WELL DONE…you made it through. Buckle your comedy belts, it’s going to be a fantastically funny year…