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The programme can be used as the focus of a stand-alone lesson. These activities support a variety of individual, paired and group work and can be chosen and adapted to suit the needs of the students involved.
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If you haven't already done so, consider undertaking the Group agreement activity from Programme 1 to help to establish a safe environment for young people to engage with potentially sensitive issues.
The Background information on communication skills will help to identify the areas where this family is failing to communicate effectively.
What role should parents play?
Clip 1: 04:02 – 06:04
Parents might play many roles in their children's lives, from carer to confidante. Nigel sees his main job as being the disciplinarian, but what other roles do you think he could play in Felix's life? Do you think he's making a good job of instilling a sense of discipline into Felix in this extract? If not, what could he do differently? Brainstorm five adjectives that describe Nigel as a parent and five adjectives that describe Felix's mum. Does there seem to be a good balance between them?
List the roles your own parents play in your life. Are there any gaps that you'd like to see filled? If your parents can't play these roles in your life, is there anyone else who can?
Does 'quality time' exist?
Felix says he wants 'quality time' with his father, but Nigel says that 'time is what you make of it'. What do you think it is that turns time together into 'quality time'? Do you think it's possible to schedule 'quality time', or is it something that has to happen spontaneously?
Felix says his dad is more like 'someone who lives with us', than a father. From what you see in the film, do you think this is a fair assessment? Think of two or three simple things Nigel could do when he's at home that would help Felix to feel better connected to him.
Dealing with dishonesty
There are several reasons why teenagers sometimes lie. For example, they might want to stop their parents from worrying, or from knowing what they've really been doing. They might want to keep part of their lives private, or they might enjoy having the sense of power they feel when only they know the real truth. Felix has been lying about going to trombone lessons. Suggest reasons why Felix might have decided to lie about the lessons, given that he says he likes playing trombone.
From what we see in the film, Felix's parents ground him without asking why he's been lying. Do you think they handled Felix's dishonesty in the best way? If not, what should they have done? How could they try and encourage him to be more honest in future?
Watching the film
How credible is Felix's claim that he's turning over a new leaf? Nigel seems sympathetic to Felix's point of view. How likely is it that he will find more time to spend with the boys from now on? Do you think that Felix and Nigel understand each other better after seeing the film? What might each of them do differently as a result?
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