"Performing Community"

The Performing Community Training Course provides an opportunity for youth workers, youth leaders, educators, facilitators, trainers, volunteers, and activists to acquire artistic skills for designing and implementing a performance for and with the community. Working with methods such as community theatre, participatory drawing and upcycle art, the participants will create a performance for the community in Carnide (Lisbon), and will be equipped to use the explored methods back in their local context and daily work.

The objectives of the TC are:

• To explore community theatre, participatory drawing and upcycle art as innovative methods in youth work.
• To provide youth workers with practical/hands-on experience in creating performance for and with the community. 
• To develop youth workers’ collaboration and teamwork skills when creating artistic community projects.
• To equip youth workers with adapting tools for applying the methods back in partner organisations, responding to the realities of every local context.

This Training Course is based on an Experiential Learning approach, being highly participatory and interactive. We will have an immersive programme full of methods’ exploration, creativity and collaboration. The non-formal education methods that we will use are community theatre, participatory drawing, and upcycle art; together with individual and group reflection and conceptualisation processes.

Due to the short duration of the TC, the programme is designed to run in intense morning and afternoon sessions, with short breaks in between. Day 1 will be dedicated to getting to know each other and exploring the methods, Day 2 to deepen in the creative methods and start preparing the community performance. Day 3 will be devoted to working on the final performance in small
groups. Day 4 will be about presenting the performance and engaging with the local community, and Day 5 will be about reflection, closing and celebration.

The profile of the participants:

• +18 years old;
• Natural or resident in EU member states and third countries associated to the programme and third countries not associated to the programme (region 3) - as presented in Erasmus+ Guide (2024);
• Good working level of English;
• Commit with an active participation in all activities of the project (preparation before TC, during the TC and local implementation after the TC);
• Able to commit to the full extent of the residential training in Lisbon, Portugal (arrival on May 29th and departure on June 4th 2025);
• Interested on the topic of the training and able to integrate it on their regular work;
• Youth workers, youth leaders, educators, facilitators, trainers, volunteers, mentors and activists able to develop a multiplying activity after the residential training in their own communities, and share the results of it with hosting organisation and fellow participants;
• Able to take a 15 minute online meeting - if pre-selected - 24th or 25th February 2025

The selection criteria for the participants:

• Their work is based on supporting others' (many times facing social challenges) and facilitating group process;
• Decided to bring creative methods into their daily work, inviting their target group to express themselves artistically;
• Ability to develop and learn through this experience, considering the offered contents;
• Interest in community theatre, participatory drawing and upcycle art;
• Ability to work in international teams, respecting different cultural backgrounds and lived experiences.