“They’re ready to party.” Students from the Independent Living Skills (ILS) course didn’t just hit the dancefloor at their prom on Thursday 11 June – they also received a round of applause for organising the whole event themselves.
The prom, held at Llanyrafon Social Club, was the culmination of a year of planning, decision‑making and fundraising by a group of final‑year students. They were determined to make the night free for everyone, and spent months creating items to sell, running pop‑up shops and collecting donations.
Singer Travis George performed four songs and told students he wished an ILS course had existed when he was 16.
‘Different skills’
Janelle Worrell, an ILS tutor at Torfaen Learning Zone, said the group had developed “so many different skills” through the project – from planning and preparation to working with local businesses.
“They are ready to party,” she said. “For some students, it’s the end of their ILS journey, and this event is a fantastic way to celebrate our ILS community.”
Check out a gallery of photos from the prom here on Cwmbran Life’s Facebook page.
Emma Parson, ILS lead at Torfaen Learning Zone, praised the “orange group” for taking full responsibility for the project. “The students wanted to do an enterprise project and put on a free event, so they’ve worked all year making items, selling them, taking donations.
“We’ve been really lucky that it’s been supported by Cwmbran Centre as well.
“What’s been brilliant is how they’ve had professional roles as you would in a team, worked out finance, visited suppliers and got donations. I’ve seen each and every member of the group do something, you know, be responsible for something.”
She said many students had never been to a prom before, making the night even more meaningful.
“They may have missed out on all of that in school, but they’re coming here celebrating what is the end of their academic year, but they’re also having experiences now that will last forever.
Emma added that it had been wonderful to see students “blossom and shine” throughout their time at the college.