JugendtheaterBüro Berlin - Das Unternehmen "Freedom Festival" (Youth Theatre Office Berlin)
Participant: Sandra Rabbow
Organisation: Initiative Grenzen-Los! e.V Verein für emanzipative Bildung und kulturelle Aktion, Germany
Youth theatre in Berlin
In July 2009 the NGO Initiative Grenzen-Los!e.V. started a new project: The Youth Theatre Office Berlin. The project pursues the aim to plan, organise, run and implement an (inter-)national, non-formal theatre festival: The Freedom Festival in autumn 2011. The festival will be realized by youngsters from disadvantaged neighbourhoods of the age between 14 to 22 years, mostly with migrant and muslim backgrounds.
The project offers a variety of perspectives and opportunities in the area of human and social rights, participation and developing capabilities to disadvantaged youth such as the right of non-discrimination, education, social and cultural participation and vocational guidance.
Among others, new theatre productions will be developed and run by the participants themselves. Over a 3-year-period of preparation, regular meetings, workshops and trainings the whole organisational process will be taken and handed over step by step to the participants own responsibility. All relevant disciplines for running a theatre festival (acting, filming, lights, sound, public relations, administrative work, construction of masks, decor, costumes, teaching and presentation methods etc.) are potential fields of activities for the participants. In that sense, our project includes aspects of vocational guidance in a creative field supporting young people in developing a perspective for the future and facilitating access to the job market. Various networks and cooperations covering research as well as practical approaches are involved to ensure a professional process of internships and working experience.
Through our participatory approach and by using non formal education as a tool, we are working strongly on the key subjects of the youngsters. Structured in periods of trimesters, the participants will work on topics like a) vocation vs. personal calling, b) identity, c) hate and love, d) social inclusion, e) freedom. Workshops will be offered focusing on subjects such as human and children’s rights, gender, discrimination, diversity, racism, tolerance and democracy. With that knowledge the youngsters develop positive and creative competencies and learn to become active and more involved within their local community.
