Theatre.Makes.Politics#Theater.Power.Politics proposes to create a creative response
on anti-democratic forces in European societies.
The consortium considers it is extremely important that youth workers working with young Europeans are able to use creative tools to question how populists and extremists of different colours try to manipulate them. TMP#TPP explores how some groups create opposition up to enmyship to other groups, be they refugees, muslims, “unbelievers”, LGBTQ+ a.s.o.
With the results of the project (creative worktools, handbook, network) we want to encourage youth workers to be able to shift perspectives in their concrete work, and to help young people to find a deeper understanding of people who are “different”, overcoming prejudices and discover the pleasure of exchanging, playing and acting with people they would otherwise never meet.
The project addresses the needs of professional youth workers: youth educators, social workers, professionals from the field of youth education (members of the associate partners). They will participate as learners in the workshops and will be part of the practical research in training courses.
The project’s general objectives are:
To empower and encourage youth workers to integrate methods into their work that will help them to address anti-democratic attitudes, such as racism, nationalism, intolerance, as well as religious fundamentalism in all its forms.
To enrich the set of methods and tools available for youth work in the above fields with techniques from the field of theatre pedagogy and other performing arts.
To create a core of youth trainers/ workers who have skills to tackle these sensitive issues in their work, and who also can act as multipliers.
The project will be concluded by multiplier events in the different partners countries associated with a major promotional event in Germany.
The project results of the Theatre.Makes.Politics#Theater.Power.Politics project will allow us to collect the methods designed into a handbook. This too will be enriched by videos and tools available online which will be widely disseminated amongst youth organizations in Europe as a valuable tool for youth workers.
Another outcome of the project will be dozens of youth workers trained to the new methodologies and capable to renew their workshops with youth groups, including young people with less opportunities. Together, they will address the fight against extremism in Europe and the promotion of the EU civic values in a creative way.
Bundesverband Theaterpädagogik e.V, TMP Coordinator
The Bundesverband Theaterpädagogik e.V. is the major association for theatre pedagogy in Germany. Next to the federal association it is the umbrella for two further regional associations in Hessen and Baden-Württemberg and collaborates with the independant regional association for theatre pedagogy in Niedersachsen.
Theatre Pedagogy is a discipline which is mainly known in the German speaking countries, but there are similar professions and colleagues all over Europe and beyond. It brings together pedagogy and social work with methods from performative arts, including performance, film and creative writing. Summarized artistic skills are used as a vehicle to work in the social sector with people of all ages like children, youngsters, adults and seniors. Numerous target groups can be participants of theatre pedagogic groups, projects and courses, like pupils, refugees, prisoners, psychiatric patients, disadvantaged or disabled persons a.s.o.
Nevertheless the majority of theatre pedagogues are working with children and youth in formal and (very often) non formal contexts. The Bundesverband Theaterpädagogik e.V. has about 700 individual members and more than 100 institutional members like theatre-pedagogical centres, socio cultural centers, private or communal theatres and so on. 40 of them educate theatre pedagogues following a strict curriculum created by its association. If participation is successful, participants can be assessed as Theaterpädagoge BuT / Theaterpädagogin BuT, a title which is protected by copy right and a strict quality assurance and considered at the highest degree in this profession next to bachelor and master.
Yearly the Bundesverband hosts national conferences with changing topics related to theatre pedagogy. In the last years it organized conferences about cross border projects in Europe, working with refugees, the possibilities and limits of political youth education via theatre pedagogic work a.s.o. In its further education program it offers master classes with outstanding teachers from Germany and Europe for their members and others who are interested.
In the business office the Bundesverband employs three paid collegues for management, coordination and organizing all kind of further education. Additionaly it engages colleagues on a project base for special events like organizing the annual festival of youth clubs at theatres, preparing and organizing conferences a.s.o.
The executive commitee of the Bundesverband is completely voluntary. Next to the 1st chairman there are two vice chairmans and 7 assessors, completed by two members of the regional associations.There are several more voluntary working groups which deal with specific topics like internationalisation, working in the health sector, preparing live or digital conferences a.s.o.