Theatre Makes Politics (TMP)

Lesvos Isl, 27-30/10/2022 Research Workshop 2

Theatre Makes Politics (TMP)
Cooperation project in the field of theatre, education and citizenship
Erasmus+ 2022-2025
 Partners:  Bundesverband Theaterpädagogik E.V. (BUT) Germany (Coordinator),
La Transplanisphere (LT) France, Ex-Quorum (EQ) Portugal, Center for Intercultural Dialogue (CID) North Macedonia, Hellenic Theatre/Drama & Education Network (TENet-Gr) Greece, Stadt Theatre Dortmund (STD) Germany

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Research Workshop #2
“Far-right extremism and populism: racism and anti-refugees' rhetoric”
Lesvos Isl, Greece, 27-30 October 2022
Location: Votsala Hotel, Lesvos Isl, Greece
Hosted by the Hellenic Theatre/Drama & Education Network (TENet-Gr)
Lead: TENet-Gr and CID

TMP in short: Based on theatre practices, TMP project wants to propose a creative response to address religious extremism, populism, racism and conspiracy theories in Europe. Through creative tools, TMP intends to support pedagogues and youth workers in their practices. In this sense, the project may help youngsters to find a deeper understanding of people who are “different”. TMP is about overcoming prejudices and discover the pleasure of exchanging, playing and acting for young people

The 4 Research Workshops for Theatre Makes Politics (TMP) project
1) Paris – Montreuil, 20-22 September 2022 (religious extremism)
2) Lesvos Isl Greece, 27-30 October 2022, (racism, refugees, xenophobia, nationalism)
3) Evora  Portugal 28-30 November 2022 (Christian religious dogmatism and politics)
4)  Berovo North Macedonia (January 2023) (Conspiracy theories and fake news)

Research Workshop #2 at Lesvos Isl Greece: The second Research Workshop of the TMP project (Theatre Makes Politics) takes place in the island of Lesvos (Greece) on 27 – 30 of October 2022 (travelling day on the 26^th – departure on the 30th).
Topic: The workshop on Lesvos will address specifically the topic of alt-right extremism and populism, related to racism, refugees, xenophobia, nationalism, intolerance of the dissimilarity.
Aim of the workshop: To research the particular topic of racism, refugees, xenophobia, nationalism, intolerance of the dissimilarity with invited experts, to share related performing arts expertise and to develop the future working groups.
Workshop content: sharing knowledge with experts, sharing of “good practice” on theatre/drama techniques addressing the topics, sharing a forum theatre methodology, visiting sites of specific interest reflection and establishing further research and writing groups
Profile of the participants: The participants are experienced experts (artists, activists and youth workers) in the particular topics (racism, refugees, xenophobia, nationalism, intolerance of the dissimilarity, active citizenship).  Participants are expected to contribute with “good practices”, to share their expertise and to collectively work towards the creation of the future “research & writing group”

DAY-TO-DAY SCHEDULE
Wednesday 26-10-2022 Arrival at Lesvos (VOTSALA HOTEL at Thermi Village)
20:00 dinner

Thursday 27-10-2022
8.00-8.30 physical exercise (optional)
8:30 -9:30 breakfast
9.45-10:45 warm up–exploration of the theme Katerina Alexiadi, Nikos Govas, Giorgos Bekiaris “Where we stand” (TENet-Gr)
11:00-12:00 sharing with local youth workers/teachers Christos Chatzilias “Lesvos, a crossroads of people and cultures” & Vera Kofopoulou “Little objects…Big stories” (TENet-Gr)
12:00-12:30 coffee break
12:30-13:30 invited speaker Dionisis Pavlou “Investigating the emersion of far-right in the refugee-migration context”  (TENet-Gr) (also in ZOOM)
14:00-15:00 lunch break
15:15-16:15 Sarah Jasinszczack “Human rights – active listening, processing and asking, experiencing and try out together” (ST Dortmund Germany)
16:15-16:45 reflection
16:45-17:00 coffee break
17:15-19:00 Join Iannis Troumpounis to his magic… Historical Walk in Thermi
20:00 dinner

Friday 28-10-2022
8.00-8.30 physical exercise (optional)
8:30 -9:30 breakfast
10:00 -13:00 visit Mytilene (Mytilini) Town. Walking tour. Hosted by Dionisis Pavlou (TENet-Gr), Christina Chatzidaki & Len Meatchin (Co-existence in Aegean Sea), Lena Aktinoglou (Solidarity Lesvos)
14:00-15:00 lunch break
15:30-16:30 Partners’ Meeting (only) part 1
16.30-17:00 coffee break
17:00-17:30 Partners’ Meeting (only) part 2
18:00-19:00 Lutz Pickard “Feeling home, feeling foreigner” (BUT Germany)
19:00-19:30 Vicente de Sa “Beyond the law – on populism/alt-right extremism and its exploitation of religion” (Ex-Quorum Portugal)
19:30-20:00 reflection
20:30 dinner
after dinner, Daphne Vloumidi presents the book “Q u I l o m b o : The Odyssey of an scruffy little elephant on Lesvos”

Saturday 29-10-2022
8.00-8.30 physical exercise (optional)
8:30 -9:30 breakfast
10:00-11:00 invited speaker (ZOOM) Kostis Papaioannou “Far-right extremism in not a future threat, it is here to stay. Can we answer?” (TENet-Gr)
11:00-11:30 reflection
11:30-12:00 coffee break
12:00-13:30 Christina Zoniou & Vassilis Klisiaris “Forum workshop part1” (TENet-Gr)
14:00-15:00 lunch break
15:30-16:30 invited speaker (ZOOM) George Moschos “Familiarizing school students with the meaning and content of children’s rights by using participatory games and performing arts” (TENet-Gr)
16:30-17:00 reflection
17:00-17:30 coffee break
17:30- 18:30 Christina Zoniou & Vassilis Klisiaris “Forum workshop part2” (TENet-Gr)
19:30 departure for dinner in Mytilini Town

Sunday 30-10-2022
8.00-8.30 physical exercise (optional)
8:30 -9:30 breakfast
10:00-11:30 Christina Zoniou & Vassilis Klisiaris “Forum workshop part3” (TENet-Gr)
11:30-12:00 coffee break
12:00-13:30 reflection – planning the next steps
14:00 lunch 
Departure

PARTICIPANTS
ExQuorum (Portugal) : Hugo Miguel Coelho, Vicente de Sá, Jorge Neto
La Transplanisphere (France): Nicola Loré, Coline Lechat, Elia Chevrier, Bruno Freyssinet
Stadt Theater Dortmund (Germany): Christine Appelbaum, Jacqueline Rausch, Sarah Jasinszczak
BuT (Germany): Lutz Pickardt,, Frank Hohl, Asmen Ilhan,,Kaan Pecenek
TENet-Gr (Greece): Katerina Alexiadi, Vassia Kossiva, Nikos Govas, Vassilis Klisiaris, Giorgos Bekiaris, Dion;issis Pavlou, Vera Kofopoulou, Christos Chatzilias,

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Theatre Makes Politics (TMP)  (in short)
an Erasmus+ Youth Project 2022-2025

Main partners
-Bundesverband Theaterpädagogik e.V., (BUT), Germany (Project Coordinator)
-La Transplanisphere (LT), France
-Hellenic Theatre/Drama & Education Network (TENet-Gr), Greece
-Ex-Quorum - Associação de Divulgação de Eventos Culturais (EQ), Portugal
-Centre for Intercultural Dialogue Association, (CID), Rebublic of North Macedonia
-Stadt Theatre Dortmund (STD), Germany 

Main areas of concerns: TMP proposes to originate a creative response on anti-democratic forces in European societies.
The consortium of partners considers it is extremely important that youth workers working with young Europeans are able to use creative tools to question how populists and extremists  try to manipulate them.

The project explores how some groups create opposition up to enemyship to other groups, be they refugeexpected es, muslims, “unbelievers”, LGBTQ+ a.s.o.

The expected  results: TMP  develops creative worktools, a handbook, an a network, in order to empower youth workers to be able to shift perspectives in their concrete work, and to help young people to find a deeper understanding of people who are “different”, overcoming prejudices and discover the pleasure of exchanging, playing and acting with people they would otherwise never meet.

The project’s objectives are:
- To empower and encourage youth workers to integrate methods into their work that will help them to address antidemocratic attitudes, such as racism, nationalism, intolerance, as well as religious fundamentalism in all its forms.
- To enrich the set of methods and tools available for youth work in the above fields with techniques from the field of theatre pedagogy and other performing arts.
- To create a core of youth trainers/ workers who have skills to tackle these sensitive issues in their work, and who also can act as multipliers

The project will address the 4 following issues using theatre/drama and performing arts:

1. Far-right extremism and populism: Racism and anti-refugees' rhetoric
2. Far-right extremism and populism: Conspiracy theories and fake news
3. Religious fundamentalism: Islamic fundamentalism 
4. Religious fundamentalism: Christian religious dogmatism and politics

The steps:
a) 4 face-to-face Research Workshops (Paris – Montreuil France, September 2022: religious extremism, Lesvos Isl Greece, October 2022: racism, refugees, xenophobia, nationalism, Evora Portugal November 2022: Christian religious dogmatism and politicsm, Skopje, North Macedonia, January 2023: Conspiracy theories and fake news)
b) Research & Writing Groups
c) Drafting a manual
d) Presenting the manual to selected youth workers
e) Testing the methodology with Youth Groups
f) Re-writing the manual & work-tools
g) Dissemination events (local conferences)

Implementation period 1/3/2022-1/3/2025

Project ID No:  2021-2-DE04-KA220-YOU - 000049944
(Erasmus+ Cooperation partnerships in youth 2021, Round 2)

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