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The HATS Manual -> The Program -> Ripple Effects
In 1997, a group of seniors and community workers from St. Christopher
House participated in the Ripple Effect Festival in Toronto. At
this workshop, St. Christopher House participants and a few staff
received an introduction to Augusto Boal's methodology of the Theatre of the Oppressed.
With the support of funders such as The Ontario Trillium Foundation,
The Kensington Health Centre Foundation, the City of Toronto and others,
St. Christopher House developed the Action Theatre and tested this new theatre model.
Accomplishments
The HATS program was successful in:
Increasing health awareness: by discussing and analysing
various health related topics including nutrition, heart health,
caregiving, problem gambling, substance abuse, home and street safety,
fraud prevention and abuse and neglect of older persons;
Decreasing social isolation: by bringing seniors and groups
together and facilitating interaction;
Increasing community participation: by preparing seniors
to assume the role of public educators.
Action Theatre Training Promoted Leadership
The goal of HATS Action Theatre training was to provide
opportunities to further develop participants' leadership
skills to help continue the work beyond the scope of the project.
During the course of the Share Awards funding (September 2000 to
September 2002), HATS facilitated over 20 Action Theatre training
sessions to 42 seniors from seven language groups. These seniors
were involved in the creation and performance of many short plays,
and six of the HATS players have since co-facilitated the training
workshops offered to other seniors' groups.
Smaller Workshops Emerged Out of Need
HATS originally had an Action Theatre training program comprised
of six to eight sessions. As the project progressed, several seniors'
groups expressed interest in learning about these tools but could
not commit to the full training program. The HATS philosophy is that
as a community development tool, Action Theatre must be flexible and
adjusted according to the needs of the group and resources available.
Therefore a two-session alternative training program, the Action Theatre
Workshops, was developed. Over a two-year period, HATS facilitated 24
Action Theatre Workshops attended by 345 participants of all ages-
older adults, youth and women.
Facilitators Workshops
In addition, HATS offered a two-day workshop to group facilitators
from 10 agencies working with seniors from the Windsor and Toronto area.
These workshops provided group facilitators with the necessary skills to
develop or enhance a program in their agencies by adapting the Action Theatre
model to their own realities. Some are now looking for sources of funding while
others are exploring different possibilities with community volunteers.
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