The project “it could be me – it could be you” (2018)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 2018 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.

For 2018, the project aims at at least 2000 teachers and members of local society and at least 6000 students.

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What it does: The project is organized under the following Actions for 2018

Action 1: Teacher Training

1a: Teachers’ Seminars: esign and deliver a comprehensive seminar structure of a minimum duration of 20 school hours, for teachers of primary and secondary education and members of local community such 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; Experience and feedback from previous joint projects.

A total of 14 such seminars are envisaged to take place in several cities, for at least 490 teachers and members of the local community. 

Action 1b: Teachers’ Short Workshops

Design and deliver short workshops of 2 to 4-hours and/or keynotes for teachers of primary and secondary education and members of local community such 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;Experience and feedback from previous joint projects.

A total of 59 such short workshops and/or keynotes are envisaged to take place in Athens and other selected regional cities, for at least 1180 teachers and members of the local community.
 

Action 2: student workshops and school networking

At least 5100 students of primary and/or secondary education in Athens, Lesvos, Chios, Limnos, Chania Crete, Rethymno Crete, Thessaloniki, Xanthi, Drama, Serres, Kozani, Alexandroupoli, Trikala, Karditsa, Larissa, Volos, Katerini, Grevena, Patras, Ioannina, Sparta, Kalamata, Tripoli and other cities, from at least 195 schools, will be part of the “It could be me-It could be you” programme and will be involved in a series of specifically targeted interactive workshops based on UNHCR’s and TENet’s educational materials ( “Skliro Karydi”, “Passages”, “I-You-We”, “Irini”, “Monologues” etc).  At least 350 such interactive workshops will be conducted and offered by theatre/drama/dance/media pedagogues. (Action 2).

 

Action 3: Training trainers. supporting and recruiting new local partners

Action 3a. Local organization and networking

At least 16 Local Partners will organize at least 98 local meetings with teachers in regions as Attica, Lesvos, Chania Crete, Argolida, Trikala, Larissa, Karditsa, Thessaloniki, Drama, Patras, Kerkyra, Ioannina, Imathia, Egialia, Arkadia Laconia, Messinia, Fokida and other regions (Action 3a)

Action 3b Local trainers training

Design and deliver a specific course of practical workshops and meetings for new trainers and youth facilitators 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 regions of the country. At least 17 new project trainers as well as older trainers are expected to be trained in at least 112 such workshops and meetings. (Action 3b)

Action 3c. Central trainers training

Reflection, feedback training and updating for Project’s trainers, facilitators, managers and staff. Design and deliver, centrally, a number of central training seminars, which will additionally include reflective sessions and meetings for all projects trainers, facilitators, managers and coordinators for updates on current refugee issues, on current intercultural approaches, on adult education methodology, on evaluation techniques etc. Experts from the will be invited to take part in these meetings and share experience from other countries too. At least 3 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 migration 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 30 such performances will be presented to approximately 750 students and members of the community. 

 

Action 5: Festivals, Share Events and/or Action Days

At least 108 schools in Attica, Lesvos, Chania Crete, Argolida, Trikala, Larissa, Karditsa, Thessaloniki, Drama, Patras, Kerkyra, Ioannina, Imathia, Egialia, Arkadia Laconia, Messinia, Fokida and other regions will collectively present their work in at least 18 targeted Festivals, Share Events and/or Action Days. 

 

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 , 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 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 2018 attracting at least 150 entries.

 

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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.)