One of the best practices an individual can do for them self is to practice observing. Observe your surroundings, ways of communicating, spaces around you, relationships, become a »shadow« that observes. That is exactly what I did in a seven day project of »Job shadowing« in the organization Associazione Teatro Giovani Teatro Pirata, known as ATGTP. Job shadowing is an activity that falls under mobility for youth workers in the program Erasmus + and is perfect for youth workers who wish to explore different methods of non-formal education.
Before actually traveling to ATGTP, together with the organization we decided when is the best time for me to come and observe their way of working with young people. Well summer is the best time, right? But not just summer is special in Serra san Quirico it is the time the organization organizes the national training »Summer School on Educational Theatre (SSET)«. The SSET training is targeted for teachers, youth workers, social workers and all that work on daily basis in the field of education and communication. The aim of the training is to educate participant on how to use theatre as a tool in their daily work, given most accent on social theatre as a tool for also resolving social issues.
Once I knew my destination, my passion for theatre and youth work was there, I had my time table of all the activities that I would participate in during the »Summer School on Educational Theatre (SSET) «, I was set to go. Then I realized, but wait it is a national training, I do not speak a word of Italian (except, for – un caffè per favore )!
That is where observation comes into practice, even if you don’t speak the language you can learn a lot by observing. That is exactly what I did during the seven day stay at ATGTP and the SSET training.
But before that what I did there, I will in shortly introduce you to what ATGTP is.
ATGTP organizes educational theatre events, managing and coordinating the active participation of young people. The most important ATGTP activity consists in the annual organization of the “Italian Schools Theatre Festival”. Since 1983 more than 1.250 national schools have been participated in the 3 weeks educational theatre laboratory. Each year the organization chooses a specific social topic for the yearly approach, to further stimulate debates and reflections among young people in developing different activities. Each year this social topic appears in a form of a »protagonist«, a character that presents a gate opening to different subjects that can then be processed through social theatre practices. In the year 2017 the protagonist or the inspiration for activities in ATGTP through the year, from theatre productions, different workshops and summers schools is the character of a young girl Malala Jusafzaj.
Who is Malala?
Malala Jusafzaj is a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate. Strong characters like this hold stories behind their actions, which are a perfect ground for development of educational and social theatre. That is way they set a character in the center of their yearly processes, there for also the central theme for the SSET training was also the story of Malala.
SSET is a three year theatre education school that lasts around 7 days (depending of the year you are in) and it takes place each summer in Serra san Quirrico. Participants go through a three year training that focuses on different aspects of educational theatre.
During the 7 days of the SSET training I jumped around different workshops from the 3rd year to 2nd and 1st (I started backwards) to get a better understanding of the methods and the concept of the SSET training.
So the part where my » shadow« comes in………..
READ MORE:Jobshadowing-Diary- ATGTP
