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Description
The aim of the project is to create a space for dialogue on the validity of existing laws, their revision and the formulation of proposals for alternative provisions conducive to building a social attitude based on openness and respect. The problems addressed by the project are the unstable civic activity of young people as well as ignoring (or not taking seriously) the voice of youth in the law-making process at the local level. In 2020, during the Women''s Strike, many young people took to the streets to protest against the actions of the authorities. Paradoxically, the actions of the authorities triggered increased youth activism. The Covid-19 pandemic caused the strike and protest actions to move online. Many young people, as a sign of support for the Women''s Strike, placed lightning bolts as their avatars during online activities, which provoked negative reactions of the authorities (e.g. in some schools such avatars were banned). The chief education officer in the Lesser Poland Province described as ‘infamous’ the transfer of political and ideological discourse to schools. We know from our experience that young people strongly resented the restrictions that prohibited them from protesting. As part of the project, we will create performances in the formula of Legislative Theatre with the participation of high school students and adults (36 people). We will hold performances for different age and social groups (min. 160 people). We will formulate proposals for changes to existing legislation regarding the topic of the performances. We will prepare a research report on the impact of the Legislative Theatre method on strengthening civic activity and make it available to min. 500 people interested in this method. Activities using the Legislative Theatre methodology will be implemented in the Lesser Poland Province, in cooperation with the Polanda Association.
Summary of project results
The problems addressed by the project were:
- unstable civic activity of young people;
- not taking into account/taking less seriously the voice of young people, including discriminated people, in the process of establishing norms/principles/law at the local level, in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship;
- limited experience in Poland in creating and implementing Legislative Theater, which abroad is one of the methods that give a voice to the oppressed and can have a real impact on their social involvement.
The broad social discussion around freedom of speech, insults to religious feelings and the involvement of young people in it made us want to start working on this topic using the Legislative Theater. We invited a wide group of young people to participate in the creation of the show and work on it - regardless of their beliefs and views. We wanted the stage to become a platform for better understanding of each other by different parties to the value conflict and to develop a legislative idea that would take care of the needs of each party, without excluding or discriminating against anyone.
As part of the project, we created three Legislative Theater (TL) performances with groups:
- “Glass Border”
- “Item 196”
- “(Lack of) feeling”
We completed 184 hours of workshops related to the process of creating performances, which resulted in 6 shows. The performances had an interactive formula. After watching, audience members had the opportunity to discuss the topic/problem/oppression presented in the play and could go on stage and try to solve the difficulty raised in the plot. Additionally, the audience could propose their ideas for legal solutions/changes in regulations. Each performance was attended by a legal expert who explained the law and regulations appearing in the performance scripts. Based on his observations, experience and competences, he also referred to the proposed solutions on stage. Proposals for changing the regulations developed by people from the audience were summarized in three documents prepared by a legal expert. These summaries were the basis for work on recommendations regarding amending Art. 196 Penal Code conducted by the metabolizing cell during the summary meeting held on May 23, 2023. The conclusions from the work of experts were included in the report prepared by the project partner - the Poland Association. The report "Legislative Theater as a method of building civic activity" is available on our website: https://stop-klatka.org.pl/teatr-legislacyjny-jako-forma- zaangazowania-obywatelskiego-raport-badawczy-z-projektu-prawo -on-stage/
TL trainers also published an article: "Legislative Theater as a process of working with a diverse group" https://stop-klatka.org.pl/teatr-legislacyjny-jako-proces-pracy-z-grup-roznorodna-refleksje-po-realizacja- project/
We also made 3 films: about the TL method, about the project results and about the benefits of people involved in the project: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKIONwYig2CuBXzWkI1SSrgPVI30ksGt5
29 people took part in the process of creating the TL regarding Article 196 of the Penal Code, and 170 people took part in interactive shows.
As part of the project, we examined the increase in the sense of agency among people participating in all three groups. The average increase in the sense of agency is 45%:
- 36% increase among participants from group I
- 65% increase among participants from group II
-33% increase among participants from group III.
We examined this indicator using two tools. The first of them determined the increase in the sense of agency before and after participating in project activities. Additionally, we examined the belief in the impact of TL on the individual sense of agency, understood as "the belief that thanks to the actions taken we will be able to achieve the assumed goals. It is the belief that our activity influences or may influence the course of events in which we are participants and, to some extent, shapes the effects of these events. 68.8% of participants declared that TL had a positive impact on their sense of agency.
Additional information on the project results:
1. The topic of the project (Article 196 of the Penal Code) is current and important. The analysis of media reports, case law and legislative proposals led us to the conclusion that, in our opinion, the justification and need to deal with this topic is even greater than when submitting the application.
2. TL is an example of a method supporting the growth of civic involvement. This is evidenced by both conclusions from process observations and direct comments from participants. Both the people creating the performances and the audience expressed their opinions about the importance and attractiveness of the activities carried out.
3. An additional result of the project is that participants support each other in life and their activist activities, e.g. two group participants became Youth Ambassadors of the Participatory Budget in Krakow, and one of the participants is a candidate in local government elections and is running for a councilor''s seat on the City Council. .