Forum Theatre training in Ukraine for the British Council.
 In October 2006, we completed the final of four exciting forum theatre training events in Kiev. The training was commissioned by the British Council in Ukraine. The focus for the training was the application of using forum theatre with young people, specifically in relation to HIV/AIDS and human trafficking education. At the time of the training, Ukraine had the highest reported growth rate of HIV/AIDS in Europe. However the participants also appreciated the potential of using forum theatre with many personal and social education and human rights issues.
 In total 63 people from all over Ukraine received forum theatre training, during two separate training events. They came from a good geographical spread, Simferopol, Yalta, Rivne, Lviv and Kiev (to name just some of the places) and they came from a number of disciplines: teaching, teacher training, psychology and youth and community work; and from a number of Institutions and NGO’s. Of the 63 trained, 20 were selected to have further T.o.T training. The October training was the second and final T.o.T sessions.
 An offshoot of the training is the publication of a booklet about the application of using forum theatre, in relation to issues around HIV/AIDS and Human Trafficking. This has been compiled by the Ukranian Equal Opportunities NGO who participated in the training and will be an invaluable resource in Ukraine, where they have yet to translate Augusto Boal’s Games for Actors and Non-Actors. Many thanks also for the honour and privilege of being asked to write a forward for the booklet!
A big thanks also to Veena and Nastya of the British Council in Ukraine for their incredible support and hospitality. Thanks also to the participants who were so enthusiastic and such a pleasure to work with. |
