Veterans Go Back To School To Teach A Lesson In Life

Veterans suffering from life-changing injuries are going back to school to share their stories of overcoming adversity.

Supported by experts in public speaking and storytelling, the veterans are using drama to recount their motivational moments, delivering their lessons in life.

Students from all over the UK will get involved with the project organised by Blesma, the only national Armed Forces Charity that supports limbless veterans for their entire lives.

Over the last two years, 29 Blesma Members have delivered their life-changing stories to a total of 11,000 children and young people across the UK.

Blesma Member and Petty Officer, Sean Gaffney, explained why it's so important to get their message across:

"We've all got the same goal and that's to affect one person, and if we can affect one person and just make the difference to one person, that's enough."

"People nowadays are less used to adversity... Everything gets given and presented easily.

"What we want to do is hopefully present them [the audience] with a big adversity that we've bounced back from successfully. We want to teach them our coping mechanisms."

Allel Nedjari, theatre director at the Theatre Royal in London, described how it's also beneficial for the veterans involved:

"There is an element to do with telling their story and feeling cathartic... What has happened to them can often change through the course of this in a good way."

This year the Blesma Programme hopes to reach out to 17,000 children and young people, an achievable goal with the number of volunteering veterans increasing.

If you would like to book the Blesma Programme for your school head to: https://blesma.org/support-us/how-schools-can-get-involved-in-the-community-programme/