TYPE OF WORK
Participatory theatre, film-making, publishing, radio, IT

TARGET GROUPS
Primarily marginalised children and young people including the homeless, refugees, young offenders, those with a disability, those affected by conflict and victims of abuse

GEOGRAPHICAL CONTEXT
UK, North Africa and Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, North America, South America, East Asia Pacific, Central and Eastern Europe, Western and Southern Europe

COMPANY POLICY
To use creativity as a process for affirming fundamental human values and rights. To date the company has worked in over 40 countries creating over 100 new projects with more than 6000 participants. A leading physical theatre company, the David Glass Ensemble has become a broad-based creative organisation using innovative theatre and creative participation to engage with people around the world. It has trained thousands of performers, young people, teachers, NGOs and other trainers. Training with young people is aimed at giving long-term vocational support for young people engaged in, or planning, creative project work in development contexts.

SCALE OF PROJECTS
Number of practitioners: 3–30
Number of participants: 6–150
Preparation period: 2 months – 2 years
Contact time: 3 weeks – 2 years

PERMANENT STAFF
David Glass, Artistic Director
Matthew Jones, Producer
Athena Mandis, Dramaturg and Development Co-ordinator

Participatory theatre project with street children (Argentina, 2002)

Aims: To create a participatory theatre piece focusing on the issues facing street children in Buenos Aires; to celebrate the values and abilities of the children; to raise awareness of the issues facing street children in a high profile context; to train NGO staff working with street children in participatory methodologies.

Outcomes: A positive shift in self-esteem amongst the participants; coverage of the issues; improved capacity amongst NGO staff.

Participants: 70 street children from four different NGOs in Buenos Aires. Partners: British Council, local NGOs.

Participatory film project (Thailand, 2001)

Aims: To create a participatory film on the issues facing runaway children; to celebrate the values and abilities of the children; to raise awareness of the issues facing street children through creating an artefact; to train NGO staff working with street children in participatory methodologies and film-making; to pilot a series of participatory films made by children, illustrating the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child.

Outcomes: A recorded fall in attempted suicides, use of tranquillisers and of agoraphobia amongst participating girls; full-time employment for three young offenders; first Thai film ever to show an ethnic minority girl in a lead role; improved capacity amongst NGO staff.

Participants: 40 children from NGOs working with abused girls; young offender institution; ethnic minority groups; school children. Partners: British Council, local government, local NGOs.

Establishment of the Centre for Creative Development in Phnom Penh (Cambodia, 2003)
Establishing a national and regional centre for the development of creative practice in development contexts.

Partner: VBNK (NGO training organisation).

Lost Child Projects in Sri Lanka (October 2003), Rwanda (autumn 2003) and UK (2003–ongoing)

Reproductive health and rights Training two young people’s theatre companies to produce work on this theme. (Vietnam, ongoing to 2008)

The Mekong Project linking the stories of the communities of the river in the Mekong region over the next five years.

Training for NGOs working with street children in Buenos Aires. (Argentina, 2003–ongoing)

Contact the company for details of more projects.