The Erasmus+ project ATENEA is a good practice using the Autobiographical Theater devised by the director Domingo Ferrandis, held in Valencia, Spain with the Valencian NGO Associación Àmbit (leader of the ATENEA project) to make visible, sensitize and raise awareness about Mental Health. The theatrical project was presented within the programming of the Festival 10 Sentidos de Valencia,
Bestias Edition (2019), and financed by the Bancaja Foundation.
The autobiographical stage piece was based on the life stories of the actresses and actors belonging to the group that attends the Ámbit Association, people with mental disorders, some with dual pathology -disease and addiction- and former inmates. In the piece called A world apart inside the world he also participates
the staff that attends them, including its director Javier Vilalta and the director Domingo himself.
ATENEA, is the dissemination of the Mental Health project, to treat other vulnerabilities in another five countries in addition to Valencia, Spain: Euro-Med Youth Federation e. V. Berlin, Germany; k.A.NE. Social Youth Department, Kalamata, Greece; The Cultures, Lecco, Italy; DRPD., Novo Mesto, Slovenia; ENTRI, Vilnius, Lithuania, to work with five groups, in addition to the Àmbit of ex-prisoners with Mental Health; People with mental health problems; Women facing geographic barriers; Women in search of their professional path; Long-term unemployed; Asylum seekers/refugees. The result is 6 autobiographical scenic pieces to break the stigma and combat vulnerability.
ATENEA aims to foster European cooperation between different partners in adult learning using specific innovative pedagogical approaches mainly the "Autobiographical Theatre".
Autobiographical theater as a tool that engages truth and fiction can help individual's express their emotions and feelings. The Autobiographical Theater methodology aims to recover, integrate vulnerable and excluded individuals facilitating their socio-cultural inclusion, as well as the development of their personal and social skills, all this looking to improve people's quality of life.
The project partners of the Erasmus+ project ATENEA had the possibility to expand their knowledge, skills and competences in using “Autobiographical Theatre” when carrying out activities for those who experienced different types of trauma. The international project meetings offered a great opportunity to all partners to get know how knowledge on how to use Autobiographical theater when working with women facing social and geographical obstacles, long-term unemployed people, people with mental diseases, asylum seekers/refugees, women from disadvantaged neighborhoods and former inmates in marginalized situations without and with addictions that lead to mental disorder.
The Erasmus+ project ATENEA facilitates the exchange of good practices and cooperation between organizations from Spain, Germany, Slovenia, Greece, Italy and Lithuania. The project design and its activities encouraged both staff and direct participants to develop an innovative way to deal with vulnerability. During the international project meetings, partners had the possibility to rethink the teaching and adult learning strategies when integrating the Autobiographical theater.
The project activities promote social inclusion, actions that help address diversity and ownership of shared values, equality, including gender equality, and non-discrimination through non-formal educational and training paths.
Project partners:
ASOCIACION AMBIT (Spain)
Euro-Med Youth Federation (EMYF) e. V. (Germany)
ENTRI (Lithuania)
Les Cultures (Itlay)
SOCIAL YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CIVIL NONPROFIT SOCIETY (Greece)
DRUSTVO ZA RAZVIJANJE PROSTOVOLJNEGA DELA NOVO MESTO (Slovenia)
All who find this topic relevant are welcome to join the conversation.
ATENEA‘s project website: https://ateneaprojectteam.wixsite.com
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