Using drama to explore Refugee Week

Introduction

In today's global landscape, conversations and awareness surrounding refugees and displacement have become increasingly prevalent. It is crucial for young people to develop empathy, understanding, and a sense of social responsibility towards those affected by these challenges. While traditional methods of education play a significant role, incorporating drama into a young person’s learning journey can create a powerful and transformative experience. Drama offers a unique platform to explore the world of refugees, fostering compassion, cultural awareness, and a deeper understanding of the human experience. In this blog post, we will delve into why drama is an invaluable tool for young people to explore the lives  and challenges surrounding refugees.

Empathy and Emotional Engagement

Drama provides young people with a medium to step into the shoes of refugees and experience their stories firsthand. By engaging in role play and immersive activities, young people develop a profound sense of empathy and emotional connection with the challenges faced by refugees. This emotional engagement not only helps young people understand the experiences of others but also cultivates compassion and a desire to make a positive difference in the world.

Cultural Awareness and Diversity

Exploring the world of refugees through drama exposes young people to diverse cultures, traditions, and languages. Through the rehearsal of scenarios and interactions, young people gain insights into the unique backgrounds of refugees, fostering cultural awareness and appreciation. They learn to embrace diversity, challenge stereotypes, and celebrate the richness of different cultures, laying the foundation for a more inclusive and harmonious society.

Perspective-Taking and Understanding

Drama allows young people to explore multiple perspectives related to the experiences of refugees. By embodying different characters, they can understand the challenges, fears, and hopes faced by individuals who have been displaced from their homes. This process encourages children to question assumptions, challenge biases, and develop a more nuanced understanding of the complex factors driving forced migration.

Collaborative Learning and Communication Skills

Engaging in drama activities focused on refugees fosters collaborative learning and communication skills. Young people work together as a team, collaborating, problem-solving, and creatively addressing the challenges faced by refugees. Through shared rehearsals, they learn to listen actively, communicate effectively, and respect diverse viewpoints. These skills are essential in creating inclusive communities and working towards positive change.

Advocacy and Social Responsibility

Drama empowers children to become advocates for refugees and champions of social justice. Through exploring the stories of refugees, children develop a sense of social responsibility and a desire to make a difference. Drama provides a platform for children to express their thoughts, discuss solutions, and develop initiatives that raise awareness and support refugees in their local communities.

Refugee week 2023

This year, Tie-Dye Drama explored Refugee Week using Augusto Boal’s Forum Theatre methods. After warming up through language and non verbal communication games, we introduced the concept and term “Refugees”. We spoke about this term, its meaning and complexity. Participants, across years 3-9, were asked if they had ever witnessed or heard about the negative reactions/treatment of refugees. 71% had done, a few commenting upon words spoken to their parents and many older students referencing current world events.

Adapting Forum Theatre 

We (Tie-Dye Drama, TDD) employed our own adapted Forum Theatre methods, a theatre style pioneered by Augustus Boal which uses audience interaction to explore different options for dealing with a problem or issue. The TDD  participants  were assigned location scenarios involving a “local” member of the community and a newly arrived refugee. The young people created 2 scenes: 1 of welcome and 1 of unwelcome. The scenes were played back to the rest of the group (who Boal calls the “spectActors”) who were able to interject and step into character roles to adjust the course of action. This adapted version of Forum Theatre allowed participants to engage with perspectives and characters, encouraged collaboration and the ability to replay the same situation and observe various responses and their impact. The drama served a safe space to rehearse real life situations.

Key observations

• A number of young people were initially resistant to act as the unwelcoming local , they did not want to be seen to be treating someone unkindly.

• Once in the acting flow, all participants were keen to act in every role and needed very little input or ideas from the TDD faciliator, including ideas of what to say in the unwelcome scene. 

• Many participants were keen to act as the supportive ally, most initially opting to enter the scene with high energy, anger and words such as “You are being a bully!” and passionately demanding them to leave or apologise. As would happen in everyday life, the character being spoken to acted defensively.

• After a group discussion and reflection, participants learned different techniques on how to better react in the situation, changing their body language, voice and tone.

• A beautiful moment involved a year 3 (7 years old) firstly checking up on the refugee and making sure they felt safe and then approached another character, physically coming down to their level and speaking in a calm and quiet voice to them, re-enacting a term phrased by Tiffany Jewell (in her book, This Book is Anti-Racist) of “Calling In”. Instead of highlighting issues publically, they used their character to take a more personal approach.

Compassion blooms from the good kind of drama

Reflections

It is evident that drama serves a powerful tool for young people to explore the world of refugees, fostering empathy, cultural awareness, and a sense of social responsibility. By emotionally engaging young people, encouraging perspective-taking, promoting collaboration and communication skills, and nurturing a desire for advocacy, drama empowers young minds to become compassionate global citizens. Let us embrace the transformative power of drama and drama impact in educating young people about the experiences of refugees, inspiring them to create a more inclusive and compassionate world.

To book in your own Tie-Dye Drama Club and host our drama workshops on Refugee Week or other Theatre in Education themes such as Celebrating Diversity, Celebrating Me, The Power in Me (themed around being an ally and upstander) please Contact Us !