The dangers of drinking and driving are well documented. There are many programs in the schools and the public realm that have been using ³scare tactics² for years. Youth and adults alike know full well that getting behind the wheel drunk or stoned can lead to their own or another person¹s serious injury or death. Yet the incidence of serious traffic accidents that are alcohol/drug related continues to rise. What is the central problem, and what can we do?
Apparently, youth and adults alike do not have the skills to navigate the internal dialogue (with one¹s self) or the external dialogue (with friends and relatives) that could lead to not getting behind the wheel when intoxicated.
There have been many initiatives in the last decade to tackle the issue of violence and racism in schools and the larger community. Yet every day we see reports in the news of escalating levels of both. Recently, here in Vancouver, a youth has had his throat slashed at a school that has claimed over and over again that it has no violence issues. Another youth was murdered in an overtly racist attack outside school. The response from school administration and police was that racism was not a factor, despite the pleas of both the Filipino and East Indian communities to recognize the situation for what it was. These stories proliferate across the country and their net result is primarily a media circus followed by an increasingly over-whelmed and conflicted community.
Despite numerous racism-sensitizing and violence-prevention programs in schools and workplaces, we can see that communities still do not have the ability to openly discuss and articulate solutions for the problems of changing demographics in multicultural Canada and the societal violence which has become linked to it.
While we acknowledge that there is no single answer to these very complex issues, we do know from experience that community dialogue is an important first step to community action. We also know that within a creative, safe space it is possible, through THEATRE FOR LIVING (TFL) techniques, to facilitate the emergence of practical, community-based solutions.
"The (THEATRE FOR LIVING) workshops and performances have strengthened our sense of community at Gladstone. Staff and students are focussed on a common goal, and that is to make our school a safer place for all. This has enhanced the sense of belonging and personal responsibility for what happens in our school."
Mr. D. Odegaard, Vice Principal, Gladstone Secondary School, 2002
We are proposing a national project that would bring people who have trained in Headlines¹ TFL techniques together with local community organizations, school administrations, youth and youth organizations. I (David Diamond, Headlines Artistic Director) will spend 8 10 days in seven communities spread throughout the country, creating community-specific Forum Theatre plays with youth and the TFL trainees. During this time, I will hand over the running of the project to the local trainee(s). Headlines will administer a budget for each community, that will seed the activity, on a part-time basis, for up to a year. After that time, the local trainee(s) will be expected to continue the work independently in partnership with local organizations. The particular subject matter forming the focus for this seed work will be determined by the communities themselves, within the mandate of what is outlined above. Once the project is up and running, communities will be free to expand the focus of the work into whichever areas are most relevant to them.
