"POWER!" Exploring and blocking racism within and around us
George Moschos, Director of Youth Engagement Scheme YES, CAMHI, Greece
Olga Orphanidou, primary school teacher, Greece
WORKSHOP
At Athens International Conference "Theatre/Drama & Inclusive Education"
Athens 21, 22, 23 March 2025
Hellenic Theatre/Drama & Education Network (TENet-Gr)
Language: Greek
Limited participation
Short workshop description
The workshop is part of the themes of inclusive and anti-racist education in the broader context of acceptance of diversity. It is addressed to teachers of primary and secondary education, as well as to animators of adolescent theatre groups. It aims to foster awareness and to develop dialogue about situations and incidents from everyday school life, which create dilemmas that teachers often face. Through this, it seeks to reflect and to stimulate the formulation of proposals on how overt and covert prejudices and various forms of racism can be addressed.
After an initial warm-up, a first introduction to the topic and getting to know the participants through a series of exercises takes place. Then, a short scenario is presented, which can be used in schools to highlight existing non-inclusive and racist perceptions and practices. Role-playing, drama and forum theatre techniques are used to approach the different dimensions of the issue and also to bring the role of teachers into specific elaboration and reflection. A fictional story with role-playing characters is presented, in the development of which a teacher attempts to manage conflicts and racist attitudes in the classroom by proposing a participatory group activity to the children. However, on the one hand she faces difficulties in communicating with them, and on the other hand she is challenged by colleagues and the school administration. A sudden event further complicates the situation and raises issues of power and culture in a school community. These issues are brought to the group of participants for reflection and elaboration.
The workshop is based on the experience of thematically related workshops, for teachers and students, which have been implemented in recent years by the two facilitators. New dimensions are constantly added to it in the approach to the above issues, mainly resulting from the interaction within the workshops and broadening the perspective of the participants. During the workshop, the aim is to highlight and elaborate practices, methods and tools that can be used in the classroom or in groups of adolescents to raise awareness about the unintentional or intentional reproduction of stereotypes and attitudes that entail the exclusion of persons with specific characteristics of race, origin, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, disability, appearance, etc.
The innovative element of the workshop lies mainly in the joint search by the participants for elements of responsibility and self-criticism on the part of teachers, which may escape their usual perspective in the daily reality of the school and whose identification may be hindered by the pressures in which they are called upon to carry out their mission.
Note: The workshop will be conducted in Greek.
Participants are requested to wear comfortable clothes and to be available to step into roles and discuss their experiences in a reflective mood.
The workshop includes exercises with possible physical contact.
George Moschos studied law in Athens and criminology in London. He was trained in self-awareness and relational skills, adult education, organisation of youth clubs and theatre pedagogy. He has worked to support and empower children and adolescents, advocate for youth rights and trained professionals as well as volunteers in his areas of expertise. In 2003 he was appointed as the first Children's Ombudsman (Deputy Ombudsman for Children's Rights) and served in this position until 2018. He has been facilitating drama workshops for children since 1985 continuously. He is a member of the Hellenic Theatre/Drama & Education Network and the Association for Article 12 (InArt12/PROTA.12). Since 2022, he has been director of the Youth Engagement Scheme YES of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Initiative (CAMHI).
Olga Orphanidou studied Political Science, Pedagogy, Social Anthropology and Theatre and at postgraduate level Gender and New Technologies in Education. She attended and participated in many experiential seminars, workshops, conferences and working groups. She is member of the Hellenic Theatre/Drama & Education Network and the Association for Article 12 (InArt12 / PROTA.12). As an educator, she has worked in elementary schools, high schools, general high schools and EPAL, in a Second Chance School, as a Refugee Education Coordinator and in the therapeutic community of KETHEA Exodus. She designed and implemented many educational projects, coordinated a European Comenius project and participated in Erasmus+ projects. Her educational and research interests include primary prevention of addictions and violence, the inclusive role of schools and the fight against social exclusion through the use of performing arts in schools.
| Action Category | - Seminars - Workshops
- Conferences
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| Year | |
| Cities | |
| Facilitators | - Μόσχος Γιώργος
- Ορφανίδου Όλγα
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