SITE project
Social Inclusion through Theatre Experience
Project summary
S.I.T.E. (Social Inclusion through Theatre Experience) Project is an EU project realized within the framework of Lifelong Learning Programme – Grundtvig Learning Partnerships.
The S.I.T.E. Project idea was based on the necessity to answer to the following needs:
- The update of competences/skills of operators designing and implementing theatre performances and activities supporting social and work inclusion of disadvantaged adult people at risk of social exclusion.
- The sharing at an international level of best practices in terms both of teaching/training contents and methodologies and organizational issues.
The partnership, involving Social Theatre Professionals and teachers/trainers, addressed the following specific critical issues:
- The existing lack of homogeneity between training paths (both formal and non formal) and the obstacles for the recognition of informal and non formal competences;
- The existing training gap in specific competences areas and the lack of international sharing of projects, methodologies and results.
- The existing obstacles for the setting up and management of transnational mobility paths. The difficulties in transferring the informal and non formal competences of the Social Theatre Profile for the matching activities in internships/stages definition are becoming harder considering the impossibility to recognize those competences.
By a general point of view the partnership addressed the above-mentioned needs defining and reaching 2 main objectives:
- to answer the needs of organizations supporting disadvantaged adult citizens social inclusion, with particular attention to the improvement of social and intercultural context s in Europe
- to answer the request coming from professionals for an acknowledgement and a recognition of their informal background and competences, also in order to facilitate their mobility through Europe and Labour market inclusion
In this context, the partnership shared views, contents, methodologies and experiences about the topic of “Social Theatre Operator” professional profile, starting a wide debate at an European level.
By doing this the project reached the following specific objectives:
- comparison between formal and informal training paths to highlight and share useful competences to support disadvantaged people in the development of social and communication skills and to facilitate their inclusion in social and working contexts
- design of a common training path to update and strengthen the competences and skills of trainers/teachers
- enhancement the European mobility of social theatre operators
- foundations set up for a long-term path toward the definition of teachers/trainers competences in Social Theatre (or Inclusion Theatre, Community Theatre, Applied Theatre as it is named in the Countries participating the project)
By an operative point of view the S.I.T.E. partnership displayed the following activities:
- compare formal and informal training paths in Social Theatre to highlight and share useful competences to support disadvantaged people in the development of social and communication skills and to facilitate their inclusion in social and working contexts
- design the basis for an innovative common training path to update and strengthen the competences and skills of trainers/teachers involved (as teachers/trainers or performers) in social inclusion activities through theatre experience and methodologies. This paths can be considered as a pilot and will be flexible (workshop sessions) enough to be adapted to local contexts and targets
- improve the quality of European mobility of Social Theatre Operators highlighting obstacles and solutions
- share innovative and effective models and methodologies (best practices) for disadvantaged adult people
- realize small-scale workshops (labs) at a local level (one during each project meeting) involving different targets (older people, immigrants, women, unemployed, disabled persons) securing and promoting an intercultural, intergenerational approach
The partnership of the project was composed of:
Ce.S.F.Or. – Centro Studi Formazione Orientamento (Rome, IT)
VHS MEIDLING (Vienna, AT)
Adult Education Centre of City of Helsinki (Helsinki, FI)
North West Playhouse Centre (Londonderry, UK)
Alfmed – Académie de Langues France Méditerranée (Perpignan, FR)
The partnership involved Social Theatre Professionals and teachers/trainers working in the field. Moreover, two “silent partners”, in particular, played a crucial role in the development of the project:
Teatro Buffo
Dance Ability
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