It’s up to US – multiplying Theatre of the Oppressed method working for social change Erasmus Project

Project Title

It’s up to US – multiplying Theatre of the Oppressed method working for social change

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Partnerships for Creativity

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Social dialogue; Creativity and culture; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

The project comes from the need expressed by the next generetion of youth educators in CIM Horyzonty. There are 3 motivated young people, who are looking for possibilities to learn about Theatre of the Oppressed and its methods (e.g. Forum Theatre) in order to use it in they everyday work with youth. Young people have great potential to start the social changes thanks to their enthusiasm, idealistic apporach, energy and willingness to learn and act. What they usually need to actually lead the processes of social change is the grounded knowledge of specific tools they could use.

Since organizations CIM Horyzonty and Mandacaru from Portugal completed in 2014 very succesful project: „Its up to YOU(th) – Forum Theatre working with YOUTH”, we want to build up on this experience and develop it with more focus on Joker’s role in Forum Theatre.

The Theatre of the Oppressed is a powerful method for activating social groups facing social opressions. It creates a space for social dialogue. It allows participants to develop social skills, communicational skills and supports personal development in areas like: self-expression, self-awarness, buidling self-esteem, self-confidence, entreprenuership and social skills, contributing to social cohesion. Despite the effectiveness of the method, there are very few courses available preparing for the role of the joker.

The aim of the project is to develop competences of youth workers in use of Forum Theatre by exploring Theatre of the Oppressed concept, with the special focus on Forum Theatre as a tool for building dialogue and creating space for social change. This Long Term Project is a space for developing complex competences of Joker in Forum Theatre in different areas: as facilitator, moderator, director, joker of forum, motivator, mentor, manager and coordinator. During the course participants will discuss existing opressions in their local communities. They will learn how to use the Forum Theatre method in order to create space for expression and discussion to enhance social dialogue and social cohesion in their local communities.

The objectives of the Long Term Project are:
• To get to know Theatre of the Oppressed concept with special focus on the Forum Theatre techniques;
• To understand power of Forum Theatre as tool to raise awareness of Human Rights and to build social dialogue;
• To discover how Forum Theatre foster personal development (self-esteem, self-confidence, entrepreneurship, communication skills);
• To experience the process of creating Forum Theatre play (warm ups, building scenario, acting out, the role of the Joker);
• To plan local activities based on Forum Theatre methodology;
• To create a space to exchange and promote good practices of using Forum Theatre in non-formal education.

This project is in line with Erasmus+ objectives, such as improving active citizenship, social inclusion and solidarity, as well as fighting social exclusion. It promotes European values as active participation, democracy and international cooperation.

Every step of the Long Term Training will help to understand the complexity of the Theatre of the Oppressed process: from group building, though building the story, acting and multuplying. In that way youth workers will learn very practical tool to empower different social groups. They will have an opportunity to exchange good practices and share their knowledge and skills from the area of Forum Theatre with other trainees from different European realities. At the end of the course participants will plan the follow up and ways how they are going to use this complex experience in their local communities.

The projects consists of several stages:
1. First international mobility – TC in Poland, Mikuszewo
– getting experience of FT play as actor/actress
– learning different stages of TO method games, image theatre, Forum Theatre
– making presentation to Local community
2. Local action – implementing the knowledge and multiplying Forum Theatre
3. Second international mobility – TC
– learning the competences of the Joker
4. Local action – implementing the knowledge and mulitplying Forum Theatre
5. Third international mobility – evaluation seminar
6. Local action – multiplying effect

We plan to engage trainers experience in Theatre of the Oppressed in order to equip youth workers, social workers, pedagogues, psycholoOlgagist, teachers and trainers with neccessary competences for using Forum Theatre in order to make a social change in multiple local communities in Europe.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 91493 Eur

Project Coordinator

CENTRUM INICJATYW MIEDZYKULTUROWYCH HORYZONTY & Country: PL

Project Partners

• ASSOCIATION ANIME ET TISSE
• Cardboard Citizens
• Bildungswerk Sachsen der Deutschen Gesellschaft e.V.
• ARTEMISSZIÓ ALAPÍTVÁNY
• Mandacaru – Cooperativa de Intervenção Social e Cultural