Behind the Shadows: Light

Our main objectives were method development and capacity building for arts educators and political educators (specifically: feminist adult educators and theatre pedagogues) around issues of gender...

Our main objectives were method development and capacity building for arts educators and political educators (specifically: feminist adult educators and theatre pedagogues) around issues of gender-based violence (GBV) by 1) combining Shadow Theatre and Forum Theatre as a methodology for creating safer and braver spaces for dialogue and 2) including a trauma-aware approach of sex-positivity in adult education around GBV to create healthier relationships. We aimed to summarize the learnings in a cutting-edge manual. Capacity development among project partners’ staff should guarantee the new methodologie’s and manual’s sustainable promotion. Going beyond the original objectives, we aimed to queer the understanding of GBV. Going beyond violence of cis-men towards cis-women and also addressing violence from the mainstream against queer people and within queer communities. This emerged through honest and healthy dialogue about GBV and our work within marginalized queer communities. With the new methodologies we wanted to foster participatory citizen engagement (we explicitly include all people living within a territory, with and without legal citizenship) around the sensitive topic of GBV using creative and artistic tools for dialogue.