I decided to turn all of my skills and experience to the subject of social media influencers and the impact they are having on teenagers and have a new presentation on this theme called – ‘ALL HAIL ‘LIGHTNING’ PETE GIFFA.’
The target audience is Secondary School Years 7-11 and Sixth Form Year 12/13
The talk combines jokes and humour with a serious message to start some productive conversations.
'ALL HAIL 'LIGHTNING' PETE GIFFA' features elements of ‘lived experience,’ dramatic performance, character comedy, jokes, humour and live music to interweave two stories about the power of social media to shape a young person’s identity and the dangers of that.
It's informed by CPD training I attended on addressing social media 'influencers' in schools, research into young people and social media and my own experiences.
The central message is about the importance of critical thinking, to react creatively rather than passively consume content.Â
I tell two stories –
Story One uses dramatic monologue – to tell the story of JACK, a year 9 pupil growing up in a dysfunctional family environment [there is wealth and prosperity but parental neglect.]

Seeking guidance and connection he begins to engage with social media ‘Influencer’ THE PRODUCT, who positions himself as a GURU or MENTOR that seems to have all the answers.
JACK joins his online community and​ loses himself in hours of content ​- starting with The PRODUCT'S 'MAN PLAN' - ​3 STEPS TO BE A REAL MAN:
​1. Get a vest
​2. Hit a punchbag
​3. Hire a Lamborghini for a day.

​THE PRODUCT has a very toxic message which has an increasingly negative effect on JACK as he is pulled further into the community.
By age 18 – ​JACK is on the verge of leaving for University and a new life ​when he finds himself in situation that risks everything he’s worked so hard for.
This is a short video I made to outline my thinking on 'toxic masculinity' and social media influencer's and their impact.
Story Two uses character comedy and music to teach a creative approach to critical thinking.
I tell the story of ‘Lightning’ Pete Giffa, a bouncer in 1980’s Britain, who grew up tough in Toy Town, the most violent town in the UK. Abandoning his true nature to fit in with the prevailing culture, he became an Award Winning Bouncer before re-inventing himself as an author and 'spiritual guru.'
Meet ‘Lightning’ Pete Giffa here:
Ultimately, it’s a powerful and engaging talk is about identity and provides strategies to encourage its audience to respect the power of social media content – the very real risks of programming yourself to think or behave a certain way – with the clear message that your own voice is the one that should shape your identity and who you become – not toxic voices and harmful content.
For booking information please email me direct.
Rob Higgs
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