Projektpräsentation
Europe@DJHT
Bundesvereinigung Kulturelle Kinder- und Jugendbildung e.V.
With #theatre.makes.politics, the Bundesverband Theaterpädagogik e.V. (BuT) has been part of a European partner program since 2022 that develops theater pedagogical methods and formats in response to anti-democratic forces in Europe. We present the first results and key questions of the project.
From April 2022 to mid-2025, the BuT is running an ERASMUS+-funded project entitled #theatre.makes.poltics, with the other project partners being TENet-Gr Greece, LaTransplanisphere France, CID North Macedonia, TeatroExquorum Portugal and the Dortmund Children's and Youth Theatre. The aim is to develop a practical handbook with theater pedagogical methods and formats as a response to anti-democratic forces in European societies.
With the rise of anti-democratic forces in Europe, the cohesion of our societies is in danger. Right-wing populist parties in particular are trying to dominate the political discourse, claiming to be "the people", to have the "right" answers and to deny that others belong to our society.
Many supporters of right-wing populists, believers in conspiracies, but also Islamist or Christian fundamentalists despise democratic processes and try to undermine them, expecting tolerance from others while at the same time being and acting intolerant themselves.
We think it is extremely important that young Europeans understand how populists and extremists of various stripes try to manipulate them, how they stir up resistance and even hostility towards other groups, be it refugees, Muslims, "infidels", LGBTQ+, etc.
With the results of our project, we want to encourage young people to change their perspective, develop a deeper understanding of people who are "different", overcome prejudices and discover the joy of exchanging ideas, playing, acting and dancing with people they would otherwise never meet. Promoting tolerance of ambiguity is also a particular concern of ours.
After several "input workshops" with experts on the topics relevant to us in France, Portugal, Greece and North Macedonia, we split into 4 working groups to develop 4-day workshops for young people.
• Right-wing populism / extremism
• Disinformation, misinformation, misinformation and conspiracy theories.
• Christian fundamentalism (through the Orthodox Church)
• Islamic fundamentalism / Islamism
The methods were put into practice during a 5-day pilot workshop on the island of Lesbos in September 2023, to which around 30 multipliers from the participating countries traveled to test the methods and provide feedback. The methods were then tested in pilot workshops with young people and further developed after evaluation.
Further information
Host
Die BKJ ist der Fach- und Dachverband für Kulturelle Bildung in Deutschland. Sie setzt sich für die Verwirklichung der Rechte aller jungen Menschen auf kulturelle Teilhabe, gesellschaftliche Mitwirkung und gerechte Lebens- und Bildungschancen ein