Staging our stories: Amala partners with International School Theatre Association (ISTA)
“Before the session I felt like stories are not that important to show, but after I finished that session I came to the realisation that stories are almost the most important thing in our lives, stories are memories, ideas, feelings, and thoughts.”
In November 2022, Amala partnered with International Schools Theatre Association (ISTA) to run a workshop; 'Staging your story. Changing the world', with Amala students and alumni in Amman, Jordan. Led by a team from ISTA, the three day workshop introduced theatrical exercises and performance techniques to students which they used to ‘stage’ their stories.
International educators from around the world, with an interest in theatre as a tool for change, were also invited to participate in the workshop. This created a cross-culture community of educators, artists and students exploring body, voice and dance to deliver their stories and messages. Day one of the workshop saw international educators and the ISTA team working directly with Amala facilitators. “It was a great experience to be connected with educators who work in theatre. They shared different techniques to tell a story in a structured and organised way and we practised this with educators,” explained Rania, Amala Programme Coordinator and Learning Facilitator.
The next day, our facilitators and international educators used the same theatre techniques with a group of Amala students and alumni. “At the beginning, I was shy and afraid to meet people from different countries of the world in a new experience, but after meeting them and with the activities that we did, we felt very comfortable. The activities strengthened our relationship. We told everyone our stories in such different ways, such as singing, acting and other ways” shared one of our participating Amala students. At the end of the session the students performed their stories to the rest of the group. “They worked as storytellers, as artists and as collaborators. Some wanted to communicate the details of the many ordeals they had faced, but many simply wanted to express their shared sense of humanity. We heard and saw stories of chaos, destruction and war, of growth, and of triumph over adversity.” shared Pete, one of the educator participants on the workshop.
“Telling your own story as well as sharing stories across cultures using theatre and the arts is a key feature of ISTA’s global learning methodology and mission” explains Dinos Aristidou, Executive Director of ISTA. Amala students explore ways of communicating their identity and individual experiences through various courses on the Amala High School Diploma, including the Powerful Narratives and Arts and Cultural Expression courses. However, sometimes words alone are not enough, and this workshop was really an opportunity for Amala students, and facilitators, to use theatre to collectively share stories which many found to be an extremely effective advocacy tool.
One Amala student that participated in the workshop reflected on how difficult she finds talking about her life story and experience of being a refugee, something that is often so personal to share with others. Through this workshop, however, she was able to use acting and storytelling in a safe space to share her feelings. “It was a wonderful chance for me. Everyone shared their stories that forever changed them, but it was difficult for me to share my story about how we flew to other countries to save ourselves and feel safe because it brought up a lot of difficult and depressing memories and emotions for me. I began sharing the events and feelings that had altered my personality. But with them [ISTA and Amala], I felt like a family and that my concerns had been heard. That is why, at the end of the day, I told my story.”
Exploring new opportunities for our students to gain further skills and learning experiences is something we strive for at Amala. We are therefore so excited about this partnership with ISTA and look forward to repeating the workshop in Amman later in the year as well as bringing it to other Amala locations such as Kakuma camp, Kenya.
“I believe ISTA improves our ability to communicate and fosters our creativity, enabling us to change the world, starting with our friends, families, communities, and nations.”
Watch a snippet of what our students and ISTA educators performed during the workshop below.
