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