© 2023. PHOTO BY PEACE DIALOGUE NGO. AUTHOR: NIKOLA TURIÈRE
By Nikola Turière & Rima Galstyan
In the summer of 2023, Peace Dialogue NGO embarked on an inspiring journey to empower young minds in Vanadzor, Armenia. Guided by Nikola Turière and Rima Galstyan, the Brainstorming Theater youth club became a dynamic platform for teenagers to explore their potential, engage in grassroots projects, and become active and informed citizens. This activity was part of a project CONTACT 3.0 that is implemented by Peace Dialogue NGO in partnership with the German partner OWEN eV.
The main aim of Brainstorming Theatre was to spark curiosity, nurture interest, and encourage active involvement among young people in community activities. The organizers wanted to help these young minds become critical thinkers and open-minded individuals who could bring positive change to their neighborhoods.
At the core of Brainstorming Theatre was the use of theater exercises and games inspired by Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed. Participants explored various aspects of this interactive method, including Simultaneous Dramaturgy, Image Theatre, and Forum Theatre. Co-facilitators organized team-building activities to build trust and camaraderie among the group.
The participants embarked on a journey of self-discovery through skits inspired by their own life experiences. Brainstorming Theatre provided a stage for these young teenagers to share their personal stories and confront their inner struggles. This process allowed them to let go of negative emotions, fostering personal growth and healing.
Inessa Ghubatyan, one of the participants, beautifully summed up the essence of Brainstorming Theatre by describing it as a place ‘to understand how limitless our imagination is, to experience different emotions, to communicate with people who have very interesting thinking, to gain new experience and knowledge and to discover the theater in its own way […] we allow our mind to create without limits, to analyze every situation from our point of view’.
As the summer club came to an end, Peace Dialogue expressed its intention to involve the participants in various upcoming initiatives. This marks the beginning of a promising journey toward active civic engagement and continued empowerment for these young individuals.
Project’s German Partner – OWEN – Mobile Akademie für Geschlechterdemokratie und Friedensförderung e.V.
The project CONTACT 2.0 is supported by the zivik (Civil Conflict Resolution) programme of the Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations (ifa) with means from the German Federal Foreign Office.
