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A hard-hitting play about Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) will be peformed in every secondary school in order to help raise awareness of the issue and prevent young people from becoming victims of it.
'Chelsea’s Choice' has already been shown to 700,000 students in the UK and will be shown to the island's students, parents and professionals starting tomorrow at Grainville School.
Internationally renowned, 'Chelsea’s Choice,' has been highly successful in raising awareness around the issues surrounding CSE and is followed by an actor facilitated post-show talk exploring the issues raised. The Safeguarding Children Partnership Board and Education Department have commissioned AlterEgo applied theatre company to bring the production to Jersey to raise awareness of this form of child sexual abuse on the island.
The play will be shown 20 times over a two week period to every secondary school on the island for pupils in Year 9 and above. Professionals and parents will also be able to see the performance to provide them with the knowledge to assist in protecting children by identifying signs and helping to prevent grooming and exploitation.
Glenys Johnston, Independent chair of the Safeguarding Children Partnership Board, said: “On behalf of the Safeguarding Children Partnership Board I am delighted to welcome AlterEgo Creative Solutions Company to Jersey. Having had the opportunity to see Chelsea's Choice in other jurisdictions I am confident they will make an important contribution to safeguarding our children in Jersey, by raising awareness of the risks of child sexual exploitation to them, their parents and a wide range of professionals.”
Deputy Rod Bryans, Education Minister, added: “It’s important that we provide our young people with information like this, even though it is a difficult subject. They need to be in a position to make good life decisions and keep themselves safe when they encounter challenging situations. Education is the key. I would like to thank everyone involved in putting on this production and would encourage parents to see the play too.”
Detective Superintendent Stewart Gull, Vice Chair of the Safeguarding Partnership Board, added: “During the course of the last year, there have been 42 CSE referrals to the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub, 19 of which have then been assessed and managed through the multi-agency sexual exploitation process. There is no evidence in Jersey of organised grooming or CSE – cases here almost exclusively centre on inappropriate relationships, often involving a gap in ages.”
The play tells the story of a group of three students who discover the diary of a girl called Chelsea. Chelsea was a 15-year-old girl who, having fallen out with her friends and family, met a guy called Gary. Gary was kind, understanding, had a nice car, had his own flat and listened to her. Unfortunately Gary was not what he seemed to be! Chelsea’s story is played out and examined by the three students who, along with their teacher, attempt to understand what happened to Chelsea and how it could have been prevented.
The play covers:
It is hoped that the audience will gain a better understanding of the devastating impact that sexual exploitation has on a young person's life and provide them with some skills and knowledge to be able to protect themselves from this form of abuse.
Grainville School will be the first school to be shown the production tomorrow. Parents of children who have seen the play at school can watch it at the Town Hall on 12 October. Places are limited and must be booked online.
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