We define the union of Arts and Non Formal Education as ArtEducation: a powerful pedagogical strategy that guarantees and fosters youth participation and empowerment.
To learn and empower through ARTS means to create individuals who are irreverent, able to react in front of any injustice, tenacious, creative, aware and versatile.
Applying the concepts of ArtEducation to Youth Work allows young people (and youth workers, educators, trainers themselves) to persevere, to become more resilient, to learn how to risk and commit, to find creative and innovative solutions, to believe in themselves and in others, without fearing judgement and discrimination, but rather by valuing diversity in all its forms.
To learn and empower through ARTS allows us to explore a new pedagogy of freedom, a critical educational methodology where ARTS becomes a dialogic tool to create competencies, inclusion and social change. It also encourages us to reverse our ways of working with youth, allowing youth organizations, educators, and youth workers to learn how to permanently ask young people: what do you want? What do you dream about? What do you wish for?
A new approach of educational co-responsibility, based on humility and mutual trust, where each individual (no matter the background) is the unique bearer of knowledge and competencies and where learning becomes a meaningful, mutual and socially relevant dialogue facilitated by art.
ArtEducation creates a human, honest and authentic intercultural dialogue, with less fear, prejudice and more beauty.
The Erasmus+ project ST.ART, that has inspired the creation of the JAMMIN project, is an example of ArtEducation combined with Street Art (sustained by pedagogical principles of Freire). The ST.ART project aims to create a critical way of thinking promoting mutual respect and giving the chance to youngsters to be part of a collective creative process by being different without feeling excluded.
In this post you will find the methods we selected related to ART in NFE as a tool for INCLUSION (Social circus, Theatre of the Oppressed and STEAM).
Social Circus
Social circus is every physical, social and artistic activity that combines circus arts and social-pedagogy. It aims to help at-risk individuals develop their social skills and confidence in order to become more active citizens.
Useful links regarding Social circus:
Theatre of the Oppressed
The Theatre of the Oppressed is a theatrical method, founded by Agusto Boal in Brazil and later on spread all over the world. This method is used to face social topics that enable the actors to discover their inner reality and to engage with the local community, usually unfamiliar with theatre’s methods.
One of the biggest differences between the common theatre and the Theatre of the Oppressed is that it is not mandatory to have professional actors: ordinary people with the need for theatre to express themselves, face internal fights or issues in everyday life can become protagonists of the scenic action.
Useful links regarding Theatre of the Oppressed:
- Games for Actors and Non-Actors (English): a handbook for those who want to explore and deepen Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed
- Games for Actors and Non-Actors (Spanish)
STEAM
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math and is a philosophy of education that promotes teaching skills and subjects in a way that applies to real life.
On the other hand, STEAM adds to these disciplines the “Art” factor. STEAM brings the elements of STEM together with Arts to foster students’ critical thinking, dialogue and creativity.
Useful links regarding STEAM: