We would like to make it clear that there is no one right answer, or one right way, to work in an inclusive, artistic environment. Facilitators, dance teachers and youth workers must use their own experience and intuition to decide which path is best for the group of people they have in front of them. This can change depending on so many factors that it is impossible to be given a rule book. These activity sheets are a collection of ideas and examples of what has worked in different situations and circumstances in the past to illustrate possible answers to the questions.
Proposed by:
Collective from group discussion
Main points:
- To find a concept, make choices, design and be a guide. To accompany participants in the creation process, to be open, to allow everybody to be a part of the creative process. To give faith, hope, confidence.
- The skill of the facilitator is to identify the skill of each participant – which of their skills to highlight.
- Establish/determine a shared language.
Hints/tips for facilitators:
- To remember that we’re facilitating art – sometimes sensitive issues will come up, we are not therapists, our focus is art.
- Try to find out why a participant isn’t feeling okay and help them either get past it or work through it.
- Identify what’s happening with the energy, if it is low, then it will affect the whole group. This takes experience. It’s okay if something doesn’t go as planned. It is stressful but it is part of the work.
- Mould the ‘play’ into a finished performance. The participants need to keep this feeling of safety, if they don’t want to perform at the last moment it’s okay.
Pictures/Links:
‘TO SUPPORT’
‘TO CONNECT’