REWRITE
Changing the Script. A creative writing and spoken word programme for young men aged 14 to 21, about respect, consent and the kind of man you choose to be.
Where the programme is now
REWRITE is under way, with a committed core group of young men.
The first sessions are delivered. The young men have started exploring respect, consent, bystander responsibility, misogyny, peer pressure, and the impact of harmful behaviour on women and girls.
Joined with Where’s Adam? The young men are working through the same Where’s Adam? story as our men’s group. Their work will become part of the Where’s Adam? podcast, so young voices sit alongside older men’s.
Built on Squash It! REWRITE follows on from our Squash It! DJing and football sessions, which give young men a trusted, informal way in.
What REWRITE explores
Big questions, asked in a way that feels real to young men.
REWRITE asks where the scripts about manhood come from: home, mates, music, social media and the streets. It gives young men the tools to notice those scripts, question them, and write their own.
The aim is not to lecture. It is to give young men the words, confidence and support to choose respect, and to step in when it matters.
- Respect and consent.
- Bystander responsibility: what to do when mates cross the line.
- Misogyny, online culture and peer pressure.
- The impact of harmful behaviour on women and girls.
- Healthy masculinity, emotions and identity.
How the programme works
A 10-week programme that moves from music and sport into reading, writing and performance.
The way in
Squash It! DJing and football sessions build trust, so the conversations start somewhere familiar.
Read the script
Poems, lyrics and stories, including the Where’s Adam? story, open up conversations about respect, power and silence.
Rewrite it
The young men write their own pieces: poems, bars, letters and stories that say what they really think.
Be heard
Their words go into the podcast and an anthology, and they are invited to share them at Be Heard: Words Beyond Walls.
What young men could take away
Skills, confidence and a different script.
Understand respect and consent
Know what respect and consent look like in real life, online and offline.
Step in, not stand by
Feel ready to challenge harmful talk and behaviour among friends.
Grow reading and writing skills
Build confidence with reading, writing and speaking, as part of the National Year of Reading.
Find your voice
Write and perform your own work, and have it heard by a real audience.
Positive role models
Connect with older men in Where’s Adam? who are modelling accountability and healthy masculinity.
Join REWRITE in January 2027
For young men aged 14 to 21 in Bedfordshire. Schools, youth groups, community partners, parents and carers can refer, and young men can get in touch themselves.
Parent or carer consent is needed for anyone under 18, including for any podcast recording.
Part of the National Year of Reading
REWRITE uses literacy as prevention. It sits within the National Year of Reading and will connect with Luton’s Decade of Reading, which launches in January 2027.
Safe, supported sessions
All sessions follow our Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults Policy. Nothing is recorded or shared without consent, and support is always available if something comes up.
Online resources
If anything in REWRITE brings up worries about yourself, someone at home or someone you know, these services can help. In an emergency, always call 999.
Bedfordshire based services
Butterflies in Shades of Grey
The Butterflies in Shades of Grey programme is a comprehensive support initiative designed to assist both direct and indirect victims of domestic and sexual violence.
Visit serviceBedfordshire Police
Bedfordshire Police and partners are working together to tackle perpetrators of violence or abuse against women and girls, including rape and sexual offences, stalking and domestic abuse.
Visit serviceBDAP
Bedfordshire Domestic Abuse Partnership offers information, support pathways and local connections for people affected by domestic abuse across Bedfordshire.
Visit serviceNational services
24 Hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline for Women
Helping women escape domestic abuse.
ManKind Initiative
Helping men escape domestic abuse.
Visit serviceGalop
Support for LGBT+ people who have experienced abuse and violence.
Visit serviceChildline
Free, confidential support for anyone under 19, about anything.
Visit service