is magazine 8.1 - Autumn/Spring 2005 - International Schools ...

wanted to leave the experience with a sense of hope. They knew
as we did that there were no easy solutions and that the scale of
the problem was so large as to be potentially paralysing, but they
came with a sense that it was still important to make their views
known. To give a voice to the voiceless.
We didn’t have time to write detailed scripts or to tell in-depth
stories. We had time for images, impressions, explorations. A
passing of bricks on a tortured path. Endless weaving of small fingers
on hardening twine. Children at play. Children at work. We
wrote of children’s hopes and beliefs:
“I am a child and I believe in Santa Claus”
“I am a child and I love to play”
“I am a child and I believe in hope”
And from these dreams they carved physical pictures of the ideal
and real worlds of these children. They demonstrated the juxtapositions
between their own worlds and preoccupations and
those of the silent millions of labourers. They were magnificent.
We all know that this one weekend will not end child labour.
But as a result, 125 young people who will become adults with
influence in the world, have not only learned of an issue which
implicates us all in our global complicity and responsibility. They
have taken a walk in the shoes of others.
In order to create art, one does not simply regurgitate; the creation
process requires a process of internalisation (agentive
learning), of metacognition and most importantly of collaboration;
key tenets of revered educationalist theorist Jerome Bruner.
This ISTA weekend provided a model of this idealised learning
in practice, not only for the students taking part, but for the staff
who had the honour of walking with them through the process.
We don’t know if the audience left with a sense of hope; they
were certainly moved. But we left with a sense of hope and a
renewed energy and belief in the power of theatre and of education
to open up enquiry and exploration in an engaging and relevant
way. As Albert Einstein said, “the important thing is not
to stop questioning”.
Debbie Kidd is Head of Drama and Performing Arts at Poynton
High School and Performing Arts College in Cheshire, UK.
She is also co-director of Integrate Arts Education, a consultancy
which provides Teacher Inset and student workshops for
Drama and Dance in the UK. Ruth Spencer is an independent
dance maker, performer and teacher based in the UK.
Both Debbie and Ruth work regularly as ISTA staff.
is Autumn 2005
Spring
Exploring social issues through the arts
* SCREAM – Supporting Children’s Rights through
Education, the Arts and Media is a programme which aims
to introduce young people to the complexities surrounding
the issue of child labour and helps them to channel their
creative energies in a positive and constructive way to
develop appropriate responses. It is produced by IPEC (The
International Programme for the Elimination of Child
Labour, a special programme of the Geneva based
International Labour Organisation).
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