Theatre for Peace

Europe today faces a multifaceted crisis characterized by a lingering recession, the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, Ukranian war and an escalating cost-of-living crisis. These challenges have exacerbated inequalities across numerous dimensions between genders, socioeconomic groups, age cohorts, and rural versus urban populations. For example, According to EuroFond, the gender pay gap remains at around 13%, and public services are strained by the increased poverty and unemployment among youth in many regions. In several EU countries, youth unemployment rates have surged dramatically in the wake of economic crises, further undermining social cohesion and fueling political and social unrest.  Moreover, the pandemic has left an indelible mark on mental health across age groups with particularly severe effects observed among young people and the elderly. Such widespread stress, coupled with economic hardship, has intensified tensions within communities, leading to both overt public protests and more subtle forms of societal fragmentation. 

Recent surveys by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) reveal that discrimination against ethnic minorities remains alarmingly high in several EU member states. For instance, FRA’s 2022 survey on people of African descent across 13 European countries found that 34% of respondents reported experiencing racial discrimination in the previous five years – a significant rise from 39% in 2016 in some nations. In Germany, nearly 64% of Black immigrants have reported being racially harassed, well above the EU average of 30%.  According to a Chatham House poll, on average 55% of respondents in a set of European countries agreed that immigration from Muslim-majority countries should be halted – with as high as 71% in Austria and 68% in Germany. Persistent discrimination not only marginalizes ethnic minorities but also fuels social tension and conflict. Studies have linked high levels of minority discrimination with increased xenophobic violence and political polarization. For example, research across several European cities indicates that neighborhoods with high rates of perceived discrimination tend to experience more hate incidents and social unrest.  

 It is important to promote the peace more than ever in our communities. In this sense, the youth work provides us a ground to implement these discussions through the dialogue and prevent the conflicts through the mediation and peace building activities. Furthermore, different conflict models are often interconnected, and young people who have been subject to these conflicts at the regional, national or international level can develop xenophobic or racist behavior. This behavior of young people can cause violence and aggression against people of different ethnic backgrounds or any minority. In summary, the combination of extreme nationalism, racism and discrimination with violence and life-threatening actions against minority groups reveals the need to develop effective strategies for violence and conflict resolution among young people. However, the youth workers do not have enough skills to deal with such challenges in the communities. Thus, there is a need to increase the competences of the youth workers and provide them with skills and knowledge to make them more aware about the challenges in the communities through using the tool of theatre for peace and inclusion in the communities. 

The objectives of the project are; 

• To qualify the youth workers as theatre practicioners to implement theatre activities for promoting the issues of young people

• To create an awareness on the usage of theatre methodologies to promote social peace in the communities

• To increase the attractiveness of the participating organizations by making them able to implement theatre activities to engage young people with fewer opportunities

• To provide a space to develop partnerships in the field of theatre, social peace and youth work