Review of the “Youth Against Sexism” Training Week

WELCOME OF DELEGATIONS AND PROGRAM PRESENTATION

The delegations were warmly welcomed by Pascale Labbé, Deputy Departmental Vice-President for Gender Equality and in charge of the Departmental Observatory on Violence Against Women, and Abdel Sadi, Mayor of the city of Bobigny.

The workweek began with exchanges with the teams of the Departmental Observatory and the International-Europe Department , during which the Comorians and Palestinians shared their experiences and analyses of violence against women on their territories and how they work on a local scale to combat it.

Focus on Training Days

The following days were dedicated to intensive training on theater-forum and film debate techniques by the Feminismes Enjeux theater group and the filmmaker Émilie Desjardins. Theater-forum, also known as Theater of the Oppressed, is an interactive theater method that uses theatrical play to bring forth dialogue and reflection on an inequality, in this case, sexism. The group of facilitators performs a skit presenting a problematic situation to the audience, inviting them to interact with the actors to find a satisfactory resolution to an inequality.

Claimed as popular education, this method is not about finding the right answer but experimenting together, on stage, with possible solutions. This form of theater creates an open space for reflection and dialogue, which the Comorians and Palestinians found particularly interesting. The synergy resulting from the participation of trainees from the Freedom Theater in Djénine, Palestine, greatly enriched the training.

The Palestinian journalist benefited from film debate training by integrating her experience into the Palestinian context, which faces particular constraints, especially to ensure the safe participation of young people in such workshops.

This training strengthened the skills of our partners and prepared them to implement these techniques in their own communities, contributing to positive change on an international scale

Representation Events

Three representation events were planned during the week, each with a specific audience and distinct objectives. The first performance took place in front of an audience already knowledgeable about the issue of gender equality to receive their external advice. The second representation event took place at LAO POW’HER and was a memorable experience. LAO, a reception center for women victims of violence aged 15 to 25 years old, provides a safe space for these young women. Interaction with this audience directly affected by sexism and violence strengthened the impact of our approach. Trainees then had the opportunity to discuss with the young girls present.

Finally, the last representation event took place at the Cultural House of Seine-Saint-Denis, in front of several groups of young people from the Department. This step allowed the dissemination of awareness messages to a larger and more diverse audience, including young people, adults, women, and boys.

The “Youth Against Sexism” training week was a true success, with the goal for the trainees from Comoros and Palestine to implement similar programs within the Observatories of Djénine and Ngazidja.