TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Marta Skorczynska
"Theater by Nature" was an international training seminar for the development of competencies for workers and youth leaders in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, through the use of theater methodology and nonviolent communication for educational activities in a natural environment.
The objective of this project was to prepare youth leaders, facilitators, project coordinators and youth workers to face situations of conflict or misunderstanding in environmental education projects, at a natural environment, where it is necessary to facilitate that the participants can express themselves and reach a commitment for the common good.
This activity involved youth workers from the following countries: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland and Spain.
The organising team was from Spain, trainers team - Poland and France.
Name of the project comes from two approaches which inspired us to develop the idea, which are our fields of expertise and professional development, and are the main methodologies upon which has been constructed the programme for the activities of the project. THEATER refers to applied drama and theatre methodology, inspired by Augusto Boal, a theatre director, and community and social activist. NATURE refers to biocentric approaches based on Antroposophy and Steiner education applied to the observation and relation of the different aspects of human relations, from the self care to the care for the environment.
The content to practise in those frames was based on the Nonviolent Communication model developed by Marshall Rosenberg, a psychologist and mediator (for more info check www.cnvc.com). Participants were invited to discover the meaning of needs and feelings for reaching a solution in a conflict situation which would feel satisfactory for all the sides. They practiced honesty and empathy in communication. First with themselves, mapping the personal judgements, feelings and needs. Then, moving to the relations with other people and practising to recognise what really stands behind their words, and how they can connect.
During the training course participants improved their communication competence, learned tools to communicate from the Nonviolent Communication approach, and tools to embody the communication experience through different senses which come from Steiner education methods.
There is a toolbox available with simple practices to develop the nonviolent approach towards myself, other people and the natural environment, created as an outcome of the project. You can download it through the project's web page: www.theaterbynature.eu
I was part of the trainers' team, responsible for the applied theatre activities as well as introducing the Nonviolent Communication model and its implementation in crisis and conflict situations. I have co-written the toolbox, and all the content available on the project web site.