Intern

The Theatre for Social Inclusion is an NGO and a theatre company based in the mid-size city of Villa Maria in the Cordoba province of Argentina. They work with 80 kids from different backgrounds. They do not apply any particular theatre technique. They specialize in staging musicals at a highly professional level.

The company was born in a Special-Needs School as a workshop for kids with mental, intellectual and physical pathologies, who were having a difficult time to learn how to read and write. Its goal was to try a new method to awaken interest and motivate the kids.

Little by little it turned out into a space in which, with genuine enthusiasm, behaviors could be predicted and modified: previously unapproachable kids turned into endearing young actors.

A year and a half later, after successfully accomplishing the pedagogical objectives set out, the workshop added another one: social integration. The company attracted children and adolescents from regular schools, street kids, all kinds of people charmed by the beauty the company could create.

It is hard to describe how desperately the kids grabbed this opportunity...and how their behavior, their self-esteem and dreams changed. They never skip a meeting, even when in some cases we know, they had to put up a fight at home.

The company has had not only an impact on the kid's lives, but also on the community that had a disdainful vision of kids from lower income areas. Now, the City's Municipality invites them to perform, and they have toured a few other small towns.

Outsides the theater workshops, the group works on health promotion, educational inclusion and legal rights. For instance, they monitor and assess recent integration to regular schools of kids that previously attended to Special Schools. They also organize activities for families, such as the Costumes and Props workshops.

This is a growing organization with increasing demands. More and more kids want to join. They are getting more and more invitations to perform throughout the region, even in far away parts of the country. There is also the desire to increase the actions and interventions on the socio-familiar context of the kids. They are also very keen on learning about different techniques and experiences on similar contexts.

 

·         Depending on the intern´s skills, a work plan will be defined by the organization before the intern arrives. Activities may include: facilitating workshops on Puppet theatre, assisting with the monitoring and assessment of children recently integrated into regular schools, Helping with the design of light and sound, facilitating workshops on creative drama techniques, assessment of participants' family background and needs, assisting in the costume and props production, English tutoring, institutional development, etc.

 

 

Duration of Internship: 3 to 6 months. March - December is the best time of year, but January - February is possible (summer months).