The Adventures of Captain Confidence Project Outline

What is the project?
The Adventures of Captain Confidence brings together the expertise of START and Salford Red Devils Foundation who have created a colourful and captivating comic book. The book reveals the secrets of the superhero and their powers of resilience, which helps aid discussion and breakdown the barriers some children face. The book is a sustainable resource that will be used to influence and impact the lives of children in Salford 

It is funded by Salford CVS for 3 years- following creation of the story between April and July 2018, there has been a tour of schools, each for 6 weeks. 

Who is it for?
Children aged 7-11 years old 

What are the aims? 
To bring together the benefits of creative and physical activity to promote an awareness of emotional well being and the importance of good physical and mental health to vulnerable young people. 

The Adventures of Captain Confidence is a book through which children are introduced to the concept of resilience and how they can build their confidence and self esteem. 

As well as providing an opportunity for conversation and exploration, The Adventures of Captain Confidence will help to encourage help-seeking behaviour among children and help them to identify sources of support within their community. 

We hope that children who take part will gain in confidence and develop belief in their own abilities. The activities aim to instil pride in accomplishments and motivate children to continue with the activities and learning. 

What will be involved?

• 12 weekly 2hr sessions to create the content of the story with the children. 
• Sessions will explore and unpick some of the more difficult issues facing children today, including: 
  • Healthy Body, Healthy Minds 
  • How we see ourselves (Body Image) 
  • Respecting each other (diversity and inclusivity) 
  • What makes us feel good (mapping and outside influences) 
  • Bullying 
  • Staying Safe Online 
• Guided by the facilitators, children will explore topics using drama and role play. In a story, there can be a focus on a particular topic to be the challenge to overcome in the plot. Children will think about what Captain Confidence could do to deal with each challenge and so will create the story themselves. 
• Children will draw the illustrations for each scene using a variety of art mediums. 
• The sessions will be facilitated by both a professional artist experienced in working with this age group and a member of staff from START (Project Manager) or Salford Red Devils Foundation (Health Manager). 

When?
The comic book will be toured around Salford schools and children’s centres over 3 years. The tour will involve START and SRDF facilitators who will deliver 6 sessions to each school to explore the themes in the book. We will use creative and physical activity during the tour to ensure sessions are interactive and fun. Each child will take a book away with them to share at home.