Intro
Artistic Instructors
I am 13 years old. Recently my mum has told me that I am getting to an age when I don’t need to believe anything that the adults tell me. But I do want to believe. Why should I live in the world where I cannot trust you? That explains the Brave Kids project in full.
Brave Kids Project is an unique cultural-educational project founded in 2009 by the Song of the Goat Theatre Association in Wrocław, Poland. It was inspired by an incredible man Dr. Akong Tulku Rinpoche, a Tibetan lama, physician and philanthropist, who established the charity organisation ROKPA.
The Brave Kids Project aims to unite children from different parts of the world in an atmosphere of friendship, peace, and respect for each other’s art and culture. Each summer, for several weeks artistic groups of children and professional artists come together in order to share their arts and cultures and to teach and learn from each other.
In 2018 (9th edition of BK), the project took place in 13 European cities: 10 in Poland and in Georgia, Romania and Ukraine. It was attended by 365 children artists of 51 artistic groups, from 21 countries, as well as 21 artistic instructors. The Brave Kids Grand Final Performance was watched by 1,400 spectators at the Centennial Hall in Wroclaw.
To find out more, please visit http://www.bravekids.eu
Artistic groups of children meet in the cities that organise the Project (4 groups, 5 to 10 children each, in total about 20-30 kids, for 1.5-2 weeks). At the beginning each group gave a short performance (about 10 minutes) presenting their culture and traditions or artistic technique which they practice as a group (e.g.: circus, theatre, hip-hop, etc.). Together with a team of professional artists and pedagogues (artistic instructors) they use this material for preparation of the joint Final Performance in each of the cities, applying the ‘kids teach kids’ model of work. This is the first stage of the project. It is followed by the second stage during which all participants meet in one city for about 1-1.5 week (a summer camp-style setting). They start with watching their previously prepared Final Performances and together during the artistic workshops they prepare the Brave Kids Grand Finale Show.
‘There is nothing more important in human relations then empathy. Empathy and compassion, nothing more powerful’.
‘We also had a group of some 16-year old teenagers from Norway for whom shopping was the thing. When Brave was over, we asked what they gained from it, and one of them said - I have learnt to love my mum and dad more. And I cried. She whacked us with it just like that. We understood she was there, in that great Norwegian home with her mum and dad in other rooms, and they had no contact at all. And here she’s rolling on the floor with children orphans, and suddenly she clicked, it had to strike her how lucky she is to have them. You never know when and if it happens.’
‘(…) it is just a great opportunity, the work with kids, when you have to constantly ask yourself about the borders of cultures, the border of own, and about your own priorities. I ask myself these questions consciously, while these kids get their chance during Brave Kids, and this is extremely valuable’
‘…what is it about? (…) I’ve come to a conclusion that it is about the encounter. And not just any encounter, but about a deep genuine meeting with other people. (…) So, if this is the case, let’s meet these strangers and let them all get to know each other, and see in the Other the same person.’
‘(…) there was this boy in a group that - given the situation in their country - was difficult to bring here, we had been in touch for years then.’ And the boy said – ‘The fact I’m here and that I studied at all, is a life changing experience for me, Brave Kids, you know. When I came here I was so shy and insecure, I always kept away. And when the time came to say goodbye I cried to the wall, I was so devastated. But, after I returned home, I knew I’d be trying to go and travel, to study and learn. It also helped that I met other kids and saw how the world could look like. This trip was the chance of a lifetime. And it motivated me .’
‘The way of managing the show, relying on, and treating all these traditions, resources, folklore, rituals and songs as artistic material is a specific approach in the Song of the Goat Theatre, and it works for Brave Kids as well. We use it and try to present this unique stuff. Strangely enough, we often think that these small things are simple or trivial, yet it turns out they form the foundation for building the society, and the values and skills of being in this world for oneself. The admiration in the eyes of the colleagues from other cultures gives you a great sense of worth too, within the community trying to find out what is universal, but unique at the same time.’
Ilona