Ask a young person with dyslexia to write about how they feel, and you might get a blank page. Ask them to show you, and the words often start to arrive on their own.
Helen Kenworthy founded The RYTC 30 years ago, with a background in professional theatre including work with Bill Kenwright and Salamander Theatre. Since then, she has used theatre, film and music to support young people’s mental health. This Dyslexia Week, she shares a session that shows just how powerful a creative approach can be when writing feels out of reach.
Starting with how a young person feels
Helen was supporting a GCSE student with a complex SEND profile who was also facing ongoing communication struggles at home. With exams coming up, there was pressure to focus on technique.
But Helen has seen time and again that learning sits on top of something deeper. If a young person doesn’t feel okay, the words won’t come, no matter how many worksheets are put in front of them.
A writing task with heart
Helen asked the student to write a “Teenage Manual” explaining how teenagers think, feel and what they need from their parents. It was an English exam task, but it was also a chance to say things that had been hard to say at home.
Forum Theatre: a safe place to practise
To help the ideas take shape, Helen used Forum Theatre. This drama technique lets you act out a real situation, stop it, and try a different response. Using a “hive mind”, lots of possible reactions can be explored, so a young person can see a situation from both sides.
Because it’s just a rehearsal, there’s no risk. Nothing said in the scene can go wrong in real life. That safety is exactly what allows confidence to grow.
From stuck to sure
Once the student had acted out the conversations, the writing followed naturally. Vocabulary and sentence structure came easily, the exam response was strong, and the student left feeling calmer and more hopeful about home and school.
Why Helen uses creativity
- It calms an overactive nervous system, so the brain is ready to learn.
- It lets young people speak their ideas before they write them.
- It builds empathy by showing both sides of a situation.
- It turns “I can’t” into “of course I can”.
Bring this approach to your school, family or organisation
The RYTC offers ready-made creative activities for families and schools, as well as bespoke projects for local authorities and organisations. Our work, alongside Education Selection Box, was recently honoured with the Diamond Distinction Award 2026 for Specialists in Child-Centred and SEN Learning Programmes, Midlands.
Watch Helen’s video
See Forum Theatre in action and how it unlocked this student’s writing: https://youtu.be/q5iXFh8Wj9s
Want to bring creative support to your school, family or organisation? Visit https://helenkenworthy.com/
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