The project “it could be me – it could be you” is an awareness raising project, targeting the educational community at large, on refugees and human rights using experiential learning, theatre and educational drama techniques.

The project is organised and implemented in Greece since 2015 by the Hellenic Theatre/Drama & Education Network (TENet-Gr) in association with and the support of UNHCR Greece (UN Agency for Refugees)

The project and its educational material is approved by the Greek Institute of Educational Policy & the Greek Ministry of Education and is accredited by IDEA-International Drama/Theatre & Education Association and approved as an "IDEA Land and Home" project.

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It primarily addresses members of the educational community, namely teachers and students of primary and secondary education, education officials, parents as well as youth trainers and local community members that are interested in the human rights movement.

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Priority is given to the members of the Hellenic Theatre/Drama & Education Network (TENet-Gr).

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All Actions are offered free of charge by specialy trained and authorised drama pedagogues and facilitators of the project

 

Aims:

• to raise awareness on human rights and refugee issues through educational workshops and seminars

• to support schools and teachers who work or want to work on relevant school projects

Coordinators: The program is coordinated by members if the Hellenic Theatre/Drama & Education Network (TENet-Gr) in cooperation with members of UNHCR Greece. Experienced facilitators, educators and youth trainers specifically certified in the program are involved in the teachers' seminars and  students' workshops and School Action Days and festivals.

 

In 2017 the program is being implemented in various Greek cities such as Athens, Thessaloniki, Patra, Trikala, Volos, Samos, Lesvos, Chios, Trikala, Kozani, Kavala, Kalamata, Karditsa, Larisa, Itea, Nafpaktos, Kefalonia, Aigio, Nafplio, Crete, Ioannina, Drama, Kilkis, Corfu, Xanthi et al.

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Collaborations: The program is implemented in various cities of the country in cooperation with educational authorities and education officials, local authorities and municipalities, universities, human rights organizations (formal or informal), teachers' unions, parents’ associations, art bodies et al.

 

What it does: The project is organized under the following Actions for 2017

 

Action 1: Teacher Training
Teachers’ Seminars: Design and deliver a comprehensive structure of a minimum duration of 20 school hours, for teachers of primary and secondary education and members of local community as parents, municipality officers, local media, members of trade unions, human rights organisations, university students etc., in border and mainland cities incorporating UNHCR and TENet-Gr educational material as well as innovative relevant material of other organizations. A total of 20 such seminars are envisaged to take place in several cities, for at least 700 teachers and members of local community.
Teachers’ Short Workshops: Design and deliver short workshops and/or keynotes for teachers of primary and secondary education and members of local community as parents, municipality officers, local media, members of trade unions, human rights organisations etc., in several mainland and boarder cities incorporating UNHCR and TENet-Gr educational material as well as innovative relevant material of other organizations. A total of 44 such short workshops and/or keynotes are envisaged to take place in Athens and other selected regional cities, for at least 1100 teachers and members of local community

 

Action 2: Student Workshops, Networks, Action Days/Festivals
supporting schools in networks
Design a long term framework of collaboration with a number of schools by delivering a series of school workshops for students in selected schools of primary and secondary education which will form a National School Network. The student workshops are based on the methodology and a selection of activities proposed during the teachers’ training seminars (see Action 1). These student workshops include sessions facilitated by the trained class teacher in cooperation with a project trainer or facilitator. Students taking part in these workshops will be also able to organize School Action Days depending on the nature of their project and deliver peer interventions activities to other school students including members of local community i.e. parents, local municipal officials etc. These peer interventions will be monitored by teachers and the team of project trainers/facilitators. At least 40 schools are envisaged to take place in this National School Network in Athens, Patras, Thessaloniki, Trikala and other cities. At least 160 such student workshops will be offered to at least 800 students of this Network.
Another 39 schools in 13 other towns will be involved in “local school networks”. These schools are mentored by the Local Contacts. A number of another 780 students are expected to take part in these local networks through relevant projects lead by teachers who have been trained through the project’s seminars.

supporting schools with tailor-made workshops: Design a short term framework of collaboration by delivering several tailor-made short workshops for students of primary and secondary education based on several UNHCR educational material (i.e. the book “Skliro Karydi”, the “Passages” role-play, the “Irini” story etc) as well as material developed by TENet and its partners (i.e “You as I”, “I-You-Us” etc). Specifically trained drama pedagogues deliver these student workshops in order to raise awareness on issues of racism, identity and acceptance of the other. At least 145 such interactive workshops are envisaged to take place in Athens and other regional cities. At least 2900 students of primary and/or secondary education will receive these interactive workshops.

School Action Days and sharing Festivals: Organise local festivals where schools (students, teachers, parents) will have the opportunity to share experience, exchange good practices and disseminate their findings. These festivals will be organised through Local or National Networks (see Action 2a) coordinated by the Regional Managers and / or the Local Contacts with the view to include schools that have focused on relevant projects or actions as part of the Project’s school networks but also as part of other related local networks that are connected to this Project. At least 4 Festivals for schools in the National Network are expected to be organised in 4 cities and another 13 Festivals in 13 towns for schools that are part of the Local Networks involving totally at least 1580 students.

 

Action 3: Training trainers and recruiting new partners
Local training for new trainers and contacts: Design and deliver a specific course of practical workshops and meetings for new trainers and youth facilitators as well as for Local Contacts based on the methodology of the project and its educational material in order to familiarize them with the content and techniques presented during the teachers’ training seminars and the school intervention workshops. At the end of this process the facilitators will be accredited as “project trainers and/or facilitators”. This will result in expansion of the Project in more schools in more sites. Such courses and other relevant meetings for new or old project trainers will be organised by the Regional Managers in all 4 regions of the country. At least 16 new project trainers and at least 13 new Local Contacts as well as older trainers are expected to be trained in at least 60 such workshops and meetings.
Reflection, feedback training and updating for Project’s trainers, facilitators, managers and staff: Design and deliver, centrally, a number of reflective seminars and meetings for all projects trainers, facilitators, managers and coordinators for updates on current refugee issues, on adult education methodology, on evaluation techniques, on current intercultural approaches etc. Experts from the country or abroad will be invited to take part in these meetings and share experience from other countries too. At least 2 major such seminars (with international participation) for all trainers and staff and at least 2 meetings for regional managers and local contacts are envisaged to take place.

Action 4: Interactive Performances for students and/or the community
Specifically selected and/or developed interactive performances will be addressed to students and the local community. These performances will be interactive in order to offer students and other participants the opportunity to actively reflect on issues such as human rights, acceptance of the “other”, racist speech etc. In particular, the Forum Theatre play “the multicolour immigration of the butterfly” created during 2016 PPA will be presented in several cities. Other similar performances will be also presented and engage students and local communities. A total of 45 such performances will be presented to approximately 1125 students and members of the community.

Action 5: The “Monologues across the Aegean Sea” festivals
The book “Monologues across the Aegean Sea” based on writings by unaccompanied children will be disseminated to schools and related groups at national, but also international level, through the IDEA (International Drama/Theatre & Education Association) with the view to trigger responses, performances, radio shows, discussions, new projects etc. The material will be also presented to broader audiences of local societies. A “Monologues Network” of schools, and/or artistic organisations will be set and supported. All schools will be encouraged to prepare a relevant presentation for 21st of March. A dedicated menu will be developed under the Project’s webpage in order to host all presentations of this day. A specific “Monologues Day” - (21st March) will be promoted at international level offering the opportunity to students and other involved organisations to organise local public awareness actions and events based on these monologues. Selected schools in several cities will be invited to commonly present their response to the “Monologues” publication during a festival to be directed by a professional director. At least 4 such “Monologues festivals” will be organised in at least 4 cities with the participation of at least 28 selected schools and at least 560 students. TENet-Gr undertakes to seek and secure the relevant authorizations and necessary approvals by the school or other authorities for any activities involving the participation of students to the festivals. TENet-Gr will also coordinate identification of directors and premises and promote publicity for each festival in close consultation with UNHCR.

Action 6: “Together” – joint actions for local and refugee youth population
With the view to create opportunities and preconditions for coexistence and meeting between local student population and refugee children accommodated in different locations and facilities, joint creative actions will be designed and promoted. These will include activities to be organised mainly in the urban context such as common workshops for local and refugee youths, organisations of visits to museums, street happenings, attendance to music, dance and theatre performances etc. Such activities can facilitate intercultural communication, breaking the ice between the two populations, fighting fear and stereotypes, while mitigating the sense of marginalization among the refugee population. Design of activities will be based on an assessment of needs and possible partners to this actions (schools involved in the project, competent central and local authorities and civil society actors etc) in consultation with UNHCR and taking into account any special conditions at local level and the evolving refugee situation. TENet-Gr will seek and secure all necessary authorizations by competent authorities and actors for activities involving transfer of refugee and local children and participation in events. At least 90 activities, as workshops, museum or performance visits, street happenings etc will be organized for local and refugee youth so that they can play and create together. At least 1560 youths from local and refugee populations are expected to be involved in these activities.   

Action 7: National Student Contest  
TENet will support the organization of the National Student Contest on refugee issues, which is launched by UNHCR in cooperation with a dedicated committee and the Ministry of Education. The Contest will offer schools across the country the opportunity to creatively develop projects and assist their students in creative processes resulting in the production of posters, short videos, texts etc. One National Student Contest is aimed to be launched and completed in 2017 attracting at least 150 entries.   
 

Additionally, the program provides:
Collection and distribution of educational resources for teachers (guide, exercise and activity manuals et al.)  
Long distance support and counseling for educators that implement actions under the “it could be me – it could be you” program, for their follow-up steps with their team.
Dissemination actions (conferences, workshops, presentations et al.)