Este proxecto nace tras completarse unha asociación estratéxica do programa Erasmus+ chamada Drama for Youth Work e que ten como obxectivo crear ferramentas para que os animadores xuvenís poidan utilizar exercicios de teatro no seu traballo diario para tratar temas de inclusión social, e máis especificamente:
a) Traballar con grupos específicos (por exemplo, inmigrantes, LGBTQI+).
b) Traballar con temas específicos de inclusión social (por exemplo, igualdade de xénero, antirracismo, xenofobia, etc.).
c) Traballar con etapas específicas do desenvolvemento do grupo (por exemplo,
xogos de vinculación, actividades de desenvolvemento, exercicios de concentración, etc.).
d) Traballar en xeral no ámbito da inclusión social cos mozos (resolución de conflitos, desenvolvemento do pensamento crítico, exploración do poder, etc.).
Tras a finalización deste proxecto, desde FOCO quérese profundar no traballo xa realizado e utilizar os resultados producidos durante ese proxecto para formar a traballadores xuvenís no uso do teatro con mozos e para tratar temas inclusivos, e tamén para atopar entidades que traballan a nivel europeo con quen comparte principios e valores e coas cales poder desenvolver proxectos a longo prazo (non só dentro de Erasmus+ pero tamén a través do CES, proxectos e colaboracións dixitais, outros programas europeos…).
Por tanto os obxectivos do proxecto son:
OBXECTIVO XERAL:
Promover o uso do teatro no traballo no ámbito da mocidade e o uso de actividades e practicas inclusivas nestas actividades, fomentando a reflexión e participación activa dos novos usuarios das actividades regulares das entidades participantes.
OBXECTIVOS ESPECÍFICOS:
- Formar a 20 traballadores no ámbito da mocidade no uso de metodoloxías teatrais.
- Chegar a polo menos 120 mozos de 9 países distintos nas actividades de implementación do proxecto posteriores ao curso de formación DAFSI.
- Alcanzar a 15 traballadores xuvenís, responsables e técnicos de entes públicos e organizacións sen animo de lucro… no Baixo Miño.
- Establecer sinerxias entre organizacións europeas que compartan valores e principios; e con distinto grao de experiencia en proxectos de cooperación transnacional.
- A implementación de novos proxectos entre socios participantes do curso de formación DAFSI.
- Facilitar que outras organizacións e entes do Baixo Miño empecen a colaborar en proxectos europeos.
Novas
Two days to go in DAFSI!
The week is coming to an end, but our participants still have plenty of creativity left! Today, we had the opportunity to learn about incorporating diversity in theatre, including the inclusion of people with disabilities, promoting human rights, and combating social exclusion.
The activities focused on improvisation, allowing groups limited time to plan their lines, which was a great exercise that enabled them to put all of the week’s learning into practice! Participants faced a reduction of their senses, such as blindness, mutism, or reduced mobility, and had to collaborate to compensate for these sensory impairments. They realized how difficult it is to express themselves and interact with others with these limitations.
In the second part of the morning, the participants, divided into groups, represented their own perspective on a selected human right, first as a statue and then as a commercial, using an image or a few lines to communicate this delicate concept that forms the basis of our society.
In the afternoon, improvisation skills were crucial as participants worked in pairs to sell their partners to the audience, emphasizing their strengths and showcasing their talents, no matter how small!
With one more day to go, the suitcase is already full of resources and tools! We look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow and concluding the week on a high note!
Another day doing theatre in DAFSI!
Welcome to Thursday, the beginning of the end! Although we have passed the halfway point of the week, the energy among the participants is still high! Despite the rain, everyone is bringing positive energy and laughter to the program. Today, we explored topics such as gender stereotypes, interculturality, active citizenship, and devising through a lot of improvisations and storytelling. While they played, the participants had discussions about these values, how they are interpreted in society, and had the space for constructive debates.
The group engaged in finding compromises and solutions for the problems the facilitator presented. Three groups were given opposite tasks, and they had to come up with a more equal compromise. There is not a unique answer, and every time you play, you can find different solutions. It’s up to the interpretation you give and how many ways you can read reality, how many shades! Between one laugh and another, their critical thinking was stimulated and challenged.
As mentioned before, some days have already passed, and some participants may feel a little change in themselves, which is the main objective of the week. The FOCO staff is proud to see that the proposed activities are giving results. We hope that something will stay in their memories and hearts, and that they can come back home more aware. The free time in the evening is greatly appreciated, providing an opportunity for participants to get to know each other better, discover new cultures, and slowly form new connections.
Still, some days are ahead of us, and there is so much more to learn. We will continue to approach each day with enthusiasm and excitement!
Back again in DAFSI!
Greetings from the 3rd day of our DAFSI project! Today, we had a really intense day filled with stunning views at the top of the famous mountain called Monte Tecla, as well as delicious food from various nationalities.
Our day began with an energetic hike to the mountain, where we enjoyed panoramic views of the surrounding area, including the Miño River and the border between Spain and Portugal. The mountain is also home to an ancient Celtic settlement known as Castriño de Santa Trega, and we were told a captivating story about its construction and history. Overall, a trip to Monte Tecla was a rewarding and memorable experience!
As part of the experience, we showcased our culture and traditions through two-minute scenes, providing unique cultural situations that might take place in our countries. We had the opportunity to learn about different nations, cultures, and stereotypes.
During the event, we interacted with people from different countries, sharing our thoughts on food, diversity, and understanding of different identities. Participants built connections that can last beyond the program’s duration, which can be beneficial in terms of professional opportunities and personal growth.
We believe that cultural night is an essential part of the Erasmus program, as it helps promote cultural understanding, tolerance, and appreciation.
Second day in DAFSI
I want to welcome you to the second day of the project! Today, we worked on facilitating drama using various techniques aimed at understanding how to organize a productive and healthy environment within the group using theatre, as well as working with migration and refugee themes.
We used activities to work on our energy, concentration, and focus to help participants develop powerful tools such as confidence, creativity, and communication skills. We learned not to be afraid to take risks and experiment with different forms of expression.
During the day, we explored theatre tools addressing issues related to migration and refugees. Here are some ways in which we learned to work with these issues: creating awareness and empathy, encouraging dialogue and understanding, providing a platform for expression, skill development, and community building.
The facilitator provided us with a solid foundation of awareness on environmental issues and then encouraged us to apply that through interactive drama exercises. This made the learning experience much more engaging and memorable.
We did a great job of creating a safe and inclusive space where people from different backgrounds and experiences could share their thoughts and ideas.
The final part of the day involved creating fictional scenarios and characters to analyze different perspectives and challenges through our own backgrounds and assumptions.
Finally, the group acknowledged the importance of reflecting on their experiences in a non-judgmental way and sharing insights with others.
You can find more information about the DAFSI project here.
First day of the DAFSI training course
Eight countries, seventeen youth workers participants and three volunteers all led by two local facilitators, using theatre as a tool to meet deeper the strangers they just met, standing in front of their eyes. Aim of the week: have a real and human encounter, enjoy non-formal education activities to learn more about human rights, inclusion, and awareness of nowadays issues, such as migration and discrimination of any kind, linked to gender, sexuality, disability, ethnicity,… These are just the preconditions to start the DAFSI – Drama Activity for Social Inclusion – week.
Sometimes in our society, it may seem unreal to have the opportunity and the space to speak about these topics avoiding the basic and common front lesson: an expert talking and the concentrated pupils listening and sitting at their places. However, today, FOCO association and their staff were happy to welcome this cosmopolitan group for the first of six days of activities. The aim is clearly to learn as much as possible, but the way these young people are going to grow their knowledge has nothing in common with the ordinary school: from the early morning, they have been actively involved in non-formal education sessions, focusing on simple theatre exercises to first know each other. And first thing to know from each other are their names, where they are from, and how old are they, but no one had a simple presentation. With creative games, they had to discover all this information by engaging themselves and starting from the very first moment to overcome shyness and hesitations. Even if they have never seen it before, they immediately began to pass beyond cultural and language walls that sometimes can stop them from interacting and this has been for sure the main point of the day. Speaking in English to be understood by everyone, no matter your level, each participant did their effort to be inclusive, open to the unknown and tried to communicate and share a bit their story, his interests, their culture. At lunchtime, all sitting at the same table, in front of good local food, the warm and openminded attitude they all had was already detectable. Theatre has been the glue to connect all these strangers and thanks to that, even though they’ve just arrived in A Guarda, they can recognize friendlier faces.
In the afternoon, every participant had some space to introduce the association for which she, he, they are working and explaining a bit the main point of their goals. In the end it was quite evident that everybody is interested in the same cause: getting their local society more aware and including social issues and discrimination based on belonging to a minority. No matter where they came from, it has just been so promising seeing different people living such different lives struggling for the same purpose, trying to bring their contribution, helping culture and putting their effort for a more equal future.
At the end of the day, still energetic (we’ll see how it goes the last night!) a Trivia game was proposed, to teach in a funny way something about their culture. Europe might seem really similar from the outside, but today we had a reminder of how different each country is!
The first day has passed, but the enthusiasm seems to be a lot, there’s the willing to connect, learn from others – not only from the facilitators – and create a wider net, a supporting community, hoping that this experience will enrich everyone and that no one will come back home the same as when taking the plane to arrive here.
