Special celebrations leave students bursting with pride

Students from Rotherham Opportunities College have been celebrating the strength and diversity of the local community with a unique event that brought together sports, live music and drama, and with plenty of pride on show, the event promised to deliver something for everyone.

The inaugural Pride in the Parkevent, saw over 90 of Rotherham Opportunities College students and staff head to Clifton Park to take part in a wide range of activities including a traditional school sports day, hands-on games and live music.

The day also saw the very first performance of a unique play, developed around the theme of inclusion. The play was developed in collaboration with professional theatre company Breakout Arts and was inspired by the experiences of its students. It explored the themes of identity, acceptance and friendship and formed part of the college’s enrichment curriculum programme, designed to help students with physical and learning disabilities connect and engage with their local community.

During the event, students also told the story of the origins of the Pride movement, highlighting the important role it has played across the world in building a fairer, more equal society. The special day of celebrations culminated in a joint rendition of “Don’t Worry, Be Happy”, as a colourful parade made its way through Clifton Park.

Karen Mulcahey, Director, Breakout Arts, said:

“During the school term, we’ve been working closely with students at Rotherham Opportunities College. Our drama sessions were initially created to help students build confidence and develop their communication and creative skills.

It’s been incredible to see first hand the excitement and enthusiasm the drama sessions have fostered, and all the students worked extremely hard to deliver a terrific performance that explored some of the challenging issues that disabled youngsters often experience in their everyday lives.”  

Dr Perdita Mousley, Principal, Rotherham Opportunities College, said:

“Our mission at Rotherham Opportunities College is to help our students develop the vital skills they need to enjoy rich and fulfilling lives in adulthood. We encourage all our students to play an active role in shaping the local community – from volunteering and supporting local good causes to experiencing a wide range of different activities.

The idea to create a special event to celebrate pride was one developed by our student council, and I couldn’t be more proud of their efforts in not only successfully delivering an event that celebrated the very best of Rotherham’s community spirit but created something that was enjoyed by the whole college.”

Based in Rotherham town centre, Rotherham Opportunities College is an independent specialist college that supports young adults aged 16-25 who have learning and physical disabilities and/or autism.

The college provides tailored education programmes, which take a holistic approach towards understanding the individual needs of each student, helping them to develop the vital skills needed to live independently, and secure employment.