ABOUT US
At the borders of Europe
With a team of four professionals we travel to camps, slums or asylum shelters where children are growing up in circumstances that are not helpful for a healthy development. Our method is interactive and trauma-sensitive, inviting children at the centre of the party.
When we arrive at a site we create an imaginary world filled with play and possibility. We wear white costumes that are circularly designed. Empty canvases waiting to be coloured by children. We use the universal theme of ‘party’, starting with making festive backdrops and colourful bunting much needed for the show. We do simple and accessible theatre games that are full of energy, blow big bubbles to stimulate wonder. We use the gentle qualities of face painting: now children are ready for the show!
Our show
The show tells the story of two neighbours celebrating their birthday but it also is a story about inequality. The children contribute by making the sounds, playing a small role and most importantly, the show develops through the interactions with the audience. We use a framework but we never know how the story will change.
In the Netherlands
Art projects with minors
In the Netherlands we also provide engaging play sessions and artistic workshops tailored for children and minors residing in emergency shelters or refugee centers, providing them with a outlet and to boost their creativity and emotional expression.
For our unaccompanied minor projects Changing Stories, artists design engaging workshops tailored for minors, drawing from their own artistic expertise. Within a few project-days held in the AZC where they live, these workshops culminate in an exhibition where the minors proudly showcase their creations.
In our workshops a minimum of 2 team members visit the location to provide support and guidance. Within a project we offer a diverse range of artistic forms aiming to support minors to unvocer their talents, to express themselves and to have a fun group-building activity.
Emphasizing talent development, our workshops are designed to challenge participants while remaining accessible to varying language- and art proficiency levels.
Ensuring our work delivers our aims
Agency
For children that experienced trauma it is important to restore their sense of agency. Our projects have an open structure that not only welcomes but relies on the input of the participants. We invite participants to be both performer and maker of the performance. It is not us who are ‘Changing Stories’ or aiming to do so; we co-create imaginary stories that are open for change.
Pop-up
Our projects are pop-up. This means we visit sites for a short amount of time, so we can give 100% of our energy. Furthermore we stand actively against the existence of ‘refugee camps’ and when working in a hotspot we do not wish to contribute to the maintenance of these places.. Last and most importantly, we want to minimise the risk of emotional dependency and make sure there is no attachment between children and artists The children we work with are often vulnerable and we do not want to risk them getting attached to us and then leaving them – by which we believe we would do more harm than good.
Education
We have developed an educational programme for children and students in primary, secondary and higher education. The programme is built to share our experiences, to create awareness and to make a contribution to their citizenship.
We aim to humanise the people referred to as ‘refugees’. We hope to generate compassion and to inspire students to do something for the wellbeing of displaced people.
