Participatory Performing Art
This project is designed to empower youth workers and leaders from marginalized communities by equipping them with skills in non-formal education, theater pedagogy, and participatory arts. The primary focus is on using the arts to explore and amplify the identity narratives of marginalized groups, creating inclusive spaces for co-creation and dialogue. By integrating participatory arts into the work of partner organizations, the project aims to foster collaboration between diverse communities and to build a bridge between theater pedagogy and non-formal education practices.
The project involves a series of modular training sessions that span across two training courses, one youth exchange, and a co-creation mobility program. Through these activities, participants will develop competencies in participatory arts and non-formal education methods. The project will also launch six pilot programs in various partner countries, where youth and migrants will co-create theater performances that express their experiences and stories. These performances will highlight the transformative potential of the arts in fostering social change, inclusivity, and community engagement.
A key outcome of the project is the creation of a specialized pedagogical toolkit that combines theater techniques with non-formal educational methods. This toolkit will be tested, refined, and widely shared among youth workers and partner organizations to support ongoing learning and development. To further engage the community, collaborative workshops will be held to tailor the integration of performance arts into partner frameworks, ensuring that the methods are relevant and impactful for the specific communities served.
The project culminates in local theater performances, with six co-created productions developed in partnership with marginalized groups. These performances will provide a platform for youth and migrants to share their stories, fostering empathy and understanding within their communities. The project will also include interviews and online forums with local actors, NGOs, facilitators, and youth workers, exploring the challenges, methodologies, and successes of participatory arts in various contexts.
Partners from Germany, Lithuania, Slovenia, Ireland, and Spain collaborate on the project, with each partner contributing their expertise and local networks. The final phase of the project will feature an international youth exchange in Ceuta, Spain, where participants will engage in a theater performance and cultural exchange, deepening their understanding of the arts' role in advocacy and community building. Through these diverse activities, the project seeks to empower 30 youth workers, foster local and international collaborations, and inspire social change through the transformative power of the arts.
Exploring Participatory Performative Spaces – Training in Bremen
From 24.2. till 3.3. 2025, 30 participants from six organizations came together in Bremen for the first phase of an inspiring training course on participatory performative spaces. Over the course of a week, they explored three of the six key competences needed to create inclusive and engaging artistic environments.
The training was a journey of self-discovery, where participants tapped into their creativity, refined their artistic skills, and uncovered new talents, but most importantly, they focused on fostering inclusive and accessible spaces—ensuring that artistic expression is open to all, especially those from vulnerable communities. A highlight of the week was a collaborative public performance, created in partnership with another group and presented in the heart of Bremen on Tuesday afternoon. This experience brought their learnings to life, demonstrating the power of performative arts in community engagement.
As they look ahead to the second phase of the training in Lithuania this October, participants will continue their journey by applying newly acquired methods in their local contexts. Through local performances and community collaborations, they will further explore how participatory performative spaces can drive social inclusion.
We are excited to see how these artistic explorations unfold and look forward to reconnecting in autumn for the next stage of the project!
Second Training course
From 13 to 19 October 2025, an international group of youth workers, art facilitators, dancers and actors gathered in the inspiring natural setting of Marcynkonis Natural Park, Lithuania, for an intensive training course. The programme brought together professionals working in diverse contexts to explore and further develop innovative methods based on a competence framework created through extensive research in all partner countries. Designed as a practical methodology for working with migrants, young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and LGBT+ youth, the training focused on three core competences, using participatory and performative arts to foster inclusion, expression and empowerment. Immersed in nature and collective creativity, participants engaged in shared learning, experimentation and group reflection.
The training was also connected to the local cultural landscape. Participants visited the Varėna Cultural Center, where they co-created and facilitated a workshop with local young people and attended a theatre performance as part of a regional theatre festival. The spirit of collaboration continued through informal yet meaningful moments, including a lively theatre improvisation evening using costumes sourced from a second-hand shop, as well as visits to the bison reserve and the Sculpture Park of Baltic Mythology. By the end of the training, participants left fully equipped to test and adapt the newly acquired methods and tools within their own local projects, strengthening inclusive practices and expanding the impact of participatory performative arts across their communities.
Local event - Barve ženskosti
Barve ženskosti (Threads of Her Story) was a six-month local project that brought together a diverse, intergenerational group of women and gender-diverse participants with different social, cultural and personal backgrounds and life experiences. The group included younger and older participants, students, people from rural communities, people with migration experience, members of the LGBT+ community, and those facing different social or employment-related challenges.
The project aimed to create a safe and inclusive space in which participants could explore different experiences of womanhood, strengthen their confidence and self-expression, and connect across generations and backgrounds. An important focus was also on introducing participatory performance as a tool for dialogue, inclusion and empowerment, and on making these methods accessible to youth workers and other practitioners.
Between September 2025 and February 2026, the group explored themes related to womanhood through movement, voice, theatre, creative expression and reflection. Using participatory performance methods introduced during international training courses in Germany and Lithuania, participants shared personal experiences, explored emotions and social expectations, reflected on similarities and differences in their experiences, and developed new ways of expressing themselves individually and collectively.
One of the most important outcomes was the creation of a supportive space in which experiences that are often difficult to express could be shared and explored through both verbal and non-verbal methods. Participants reported stronger feelings of connection and belonging, greater confidence in expressing themselves, and increased awareness of their own emotions, experiences and perspectives. The process also demonstrated how embodied, creative and participatory methods can open conversations around sensitive or less visible aspects of women’s lives.
The project continued through cooperation with Zavod BOB in Ljubljana. In September 2026, we joined NEXTIVAL, a one-day festival organised by young people for young people, where we facilitated an introductory participatory performance workshop and presented the PPA project. Youth workers and other visitors could also access the practical project handbook through a QR code, helping the methods and experiences developed within the project reach new groups and inspire their use in future youth work and community activities.
Youth Exchange CEYOUTHA
CEYOUTHA – Migration Through Our Eyes was a youth exchange held from 16 to 22 March 2026, bringing together young people from five countries and diverse cultural backgrounds. Set in Ceuta, a unique border city and meeting point of cultures, the project created a space for young people to explore migration, identity, belonging and intercultural coexistence from their own perspectives.
Through theatre, participatory performance and non-formal learning, participants explored the realities and complexities of migration, shared experiences and challenged stereotypes. Each partner organisation contributed a theatre-based workshop, introducing different creative approaches to topics such as migration stories, cultural identity and integration, inclusion, shared narratives and collective expression.
The exchange aimed to empower young people to express their views and experiences, strengthen intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding, and encourage greater inclusion and solidarity. At the same time, participants developed their creativity, communication and teamwork skills while discovering theatre as a tool for dialogue, reflection and social awareness. The exchange also hosted representatives of the local youth community as well as the Red Cross Organization, which presented the local realities and their work.
The main creative outcome of the exchange was a collectively developed theatre performance on migration. During the final days, participants drew on the themes, ideas and theatrical tools explored throughout the week and worked together to shape them into a shared performance. Rather than following a pre-written script, the final piece emerged from the participants’ own creative process and brought together different perspectives on migration, identity, belonging and living together across cultures. The performance was shown in one of the main squares in Ceuta and attracted a varied audience. It also provided an opportunity to transform the learning and discussions of the exchange into a collective artistic expression.
