Vulnerability is a very dynamic concept, and is inherent to human nature – it arises from different aspects of the human condition, such as potential harm /change in circumstances – due to ageing or rearrangements in society.  Vulnerable people are defined as those who due to reasons of age, gender, physical or mental state or due to social, economic, ethnic and/or cultural circumstances, find it especially difficult to fully exercise their rights before the justice system as recognised by law.  Several causes can contribute to vulnerability: age, disability, belonging to indigenous communities or minorities, victimisation, migration and internal displacement, poverty, gender and deprivation of liberty (Brasilia Regulation Regarding Access to Justice for Vulnerable People, 2008)  

The ATENEA Project involves socially vulnerable adults in a path connected with the dramatherapeutically working for acquisition, training and empowerment of skills and social competences. The use of dramatherapy approaches is useful to increase social competence of vulnerable people due to different causes. Group drama activity enables individuals with learning and inclusion disabilities to express themselves with other group members and raise their current concerns.

ATENEA  project is based on good practice of  “Autobiographical Theatre” that was carried out with mental health disease adults, of the Àmbit Association. Domingo Ferrandis(link is external)‘s opera «Un Mundo aparte adentro del Mundo» (A world apart inside of the world) developed in collaboration with Asociación Àmbit, was presented at the  Festival of «10 Senses» and was sponsored by Bancaja Foundation. Un Mundo aparte adentro del Mundo» has involved 14 users of Àmbit,  its director and social workers as the cast of the play.

The concept of “Autobiographical Theatre” consists of an original piece based on the contents of the author’s personal life (participating user), and the representation in front of an audience. The autobiographical or self-referential piece usually has a revealing aspect that shows personal contents and allows the author/authoress/actor/actress to aesthetically explore events in his life, express feelings such and make visible issues that concern and interest him/her. The pristine idea was aimed to reflect on the experience in a theatre training process with a group of people with disabilities, who were in vulnerable conditions and diversity. In today’s education, there are great challenges to answer adults’ educational needs who are searching for opportunities for learning. Educational models are sometimes thought from the methods and processes, but leave the beneficiary part aside, on which they affect changes and conditions that the environment provides.

Project Objectives

• To promote social inclusion of adults in vulnerability conditions focused on the «Autobiographical Theatre»
• To transfer and spread out a good practice developed, tested and successfully applied by Àmbit, in Valencia, Spain.
• To foster European cooperation between different partners in adult learning through specific innovative pedagogical approaches

TARGET GROUPS 

ATENEA involves the following target groups: 

• Women facing social and geographical obstacles;
• Long-term unemployed people;
• People with mental diseases;
• Asylum seekers/refugees; Women from disadvantaged neighbourhoods
• Adults former inmates in marginalized situations without and with addictions that lead to mental disorders.

Project partners:

ASOCIACION AMBIT(link is external) (Spain)

ENRI (link is external)(Lithuania)

Les Cultures(link is external) (Itlay) 

Euro-Med Youth Federation (EMYF) e. V.(link is external) (Germany) 

SOCIAL YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CIVIL NONPROFIT SOCIETY(link is external) (Greece)

DRUSTVO ZA RAZVIJANJE PROSTOVOLJNEGA DELA NOVO MESTO (link is external)(Slovenia)

All who find this topic relevant are welcome to join the conversation.

Domingo Ferrandis(link is external) is a pioneer and precursor of dramatherapy in Spain. He has an Official diploma in theatre pedagogy from the University of Valencia, Spain, RDT credential in Dramatherapy from the Official Certificate NADTA (American Drama Therapy Association). with the support of the Master’s in Dramatherapy from the Kansas State University, USA.