Theater for Youth - An training course on the Theater of the Oppressed Methodology
06-13 November 2022
Far-sighted house, Guggisberg BE / Switzerland
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Theater of the Oppressed is an innovative pedagogical method aimed at people who have no experience of acting or performing on stage or in public. Using the Theater of the Oppressed method, participants can discover encouraging solutions for everyday life when working with young people. The learning experience can be used by youth workers, social workers, teachers and educators to analyze and discover difficulties in real life situations, to build trust, mutual respect and understanding not only on stage but also in everyday life to accomplish.
"THEATER FOR YOUTH" is an action-oriented training for youth workers and professionals who deal with and work on anti-discrimination, human rights protection and intercultural learning.
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background
Young people across Europe are at high risk of social exclusion and poverty, stemming from human rights violations and discrimination based on nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, etc. Education for JYouth professionals and other educators are very important in challenging situations that they face together with young people. They need to improve and pass on their skills that young people acquire through educational activities and volunteer work in youth organizations.
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contents
-Human rights issues and discussions to understand what they are and how their violation manifests itself (discrimination, stereotypes and prejudice)
- Creative theater workshops on Augusto Boal's Theater of the Oppressed and how it can be integrated into the practice of the youth work of the participants .
- Elaboration of forum plays reflecting the themes relevant to the participants and their youngsters.
- In particular, the group will explore/investigate how this methodology can be used to research social inclusion and support the participation of young people.
- Give participants the opportunity to practice their moderation skills and in particular to learn how to be a "joker" in forum theater.
- Give the participants a space to develop local and international projects with their young people.
- Design, write and present action plans for their local community.
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Below you will find some impressions and words concerning the Theatre to Youth 2022:
In the 2022 edition, 18 participants from Bulgaria, Germany, Israel, Palestine, Kosovo, Macedonia, Switzerland and Serbia went there.
At the beginning of the week, playful methods were used to facilitate contact and thus make it easier to get to know each other. Then the focus was on the theory of 'theatre of the oppressed'. Then the respective groups presented the sequences they had studied. This led to intensive exchanges, discussions about possible modifications and improvised interventions. Finally, each national group met to imagine and present concrete projects that could be realised in the future.
This week showed that cultural differences can sometimes be very important. Nevertheless, there is always a unifying element. This element must be consolidated as much as possible in order to grow and to tackle positive changes together.
The participants in this programme, as well as the young people in their respective countries, benefit from the experiences gained, the newly created networks and the discussions around the themes of discrimination, oppression and human rights.
In a nutshell:
A great week - amazing people - want more!