MYNDTheater Objectives
The MYndTheater project aims to promote the mental health of young people through the Forum Theater methodology, in response to the threats present in digital environments.
MYndTheater will focus on developing key skills in young people, such as knowledge skills, life skills, psycho-emotional skills and practical skills that allow them to be better equipped to protect their emotional and psychological well-being during their online interaction and mitigate any negative repercussions on their real life.
The project foresees the application of the forum theater approach in the youth organizations as a non-formal strategy for the development of these skills, promoting expression, dialogue, empowerment, resilience, education and awareness on these issues, within the dynamics of digital environments. In addition to simultaneously promoting community participation and social support for the creation of new socio-affective relationships.
To address this objective, a strategic alliance was established with organizations, whose common goal is to promote the social inclusion and empowerment of young people in the face of the challenges of the current reality through the implementation of non-formal education methods for the development of skills in youth.
Specific Objectives
The project specifically seeks:
To develop the Non-Formal Methodology of the Forum Theatre for the consortium’s organizations which will serve as a powerful non-formal methodology, fostering youth participation, social change, and community engagement.
To broaden knowledge and understanding of the risks, threats and impact on youth in the life in digital environments and frame the correlation and possible causality existing between the use of ICTs and the development of disorders linked to mental health in youth, from a multi-transversal and transnational perspective.
To promote non-formal education methodology based on the application of Forum Theater to the digital environment to face the threats of the online violence to be applied at European level by professionals, actors, and other stakeholders active in the field of youth.
To provide youth workers involved in youth mental health promotion and theater performance with key knowledge and practical skills related to the approach of the Forum Theater to update and adapt its practice to face the new paradigms generated in virtual environments through multidisciplinary and transnational collaborations.
To increase the level of employability of youth workers involved in youth mental health promotion and theater performance by acquiring practical methodological skills to be applied in their professional sectors.
To develop in youth workers and young people specific skills that allow them to have a better understanding of virtual environments in terms of their socio-cultural dynamics, the principles that govern this reality, the potential that they represent, as well as the challenges they must face to contrast current phenomena such as hate speech, disinformation.
To develop specific Soft Skills (Psycho-emotional skills and Life skills) in youth workers in order to prevent violent and risky behaviours and the negative effects of activity within digital environments on mental health.
To stimulate psycho-emotional and “for life” skills in young people, related to the practice of forum theater to empower themselves in the face of the threats of virtual spaces and a mechanism to protect and preserve their own mental health.
To develop skills in young people related to the critical analysis of information, social debate, mediation of communication, facilitation of access to networks, revitalization of community mechanisms, decoding and critical vision of virtual reality, to act as intermediaries between the digital world and reality.
To increase and enhancing the cooperation and networking between partners and youth organizations at the European focused in the issues related with the promotion of mental health in young people to enhance their European and international visibility.
To promote, at local level, the discussion and the public debate on the issue of metal health in order to increase the knowledge and awareness in public audience, families, schools and policy makers.
Main Activities
Research:
Desk Research and Data Collection, Qualitative Research and Exchange of best practices (Outputs: guidelines about research, research paper about desk research report about qualitative research and collection of best practices)
Training:
E-learning course and Transnational training meeting in Serbia (Outputs: guidelines selection of participants, training program, guidelines to the preparation of e-learning course, e-learning course, e-learning platform, training materials e-learning course, e-learning course, evaluation of e-learning course, agenda and training program of training meeting, training report and evaluation of training meeting)
Capacity Building:
Capacity building meeting in Albania and Virtual Forum Theater Lab (Outputs: Virtual Forum Theater Lab platform, Virtual Forum Theater Exchanges, report on methodology, CBY meeting program, agenda and info pack, report on meeting’s activities, catalogue of games)
Forum Theater From Virtual to Real:
Staging in real settings and Workshop Program (Outputs: Forum Theater Guidelines, local Workshop, report “MYndTheater” Handbook).