That’s enough!

That's enough..!

Prevention of the violence in the youngsters' environment (family, friendship, school)

Description

“That´s enough..!” is an interactive theatrical activity which complements and stimulates the programmes of intervention and existing actions dedicated to the information, prevention and awareness of the violence among young people.

Theatre activity “That´s enough..!” is aimed at the prevention of the violence in the environment of the teenagers and youngsters (family, friends, school). This educative resource affects in both direct and indirect ways some aspects that are of relevant urgency nowadays:

– Violence in family life.

– Bullying or violence among equals.

– Violence against women and male chauvinist atitudes.

– Abuse or neglect of the elderly.

– The way mass media influences the perseption of violence.

This play was created through co-working with specialist technicians in mediation linked to the Education Department of the Generalitat of Catalonia and Gladys Guerra, an educator.

The artistic and technical contents get renewed periodically.

Target audience

In order to reinforce the efficiency of prevention in an appropriate way we carry out performances for cohesive groups of youngsters of minimum 30 and maximum 120 spectators per session.

We also perform plays addressed exclusively to the groups of professionals (tecnicians in prevention, secondary school teachers, social educators) and groups of parents AMPAS.

Testimonies

Objectives

  • Question the youngsters about the violence that surrounds them through different conflictive situations with which they feel identified, giving way to further dialogue.
  • “De-dramatise” the discussion of this issue providing at the same time all the necessary rigor through a scenic proposal which implies attractive, lively and evocative language.
  • Stimulate reflection, so that a youngster could considerate how to act adequately in situations where family relationships and relationships among equals can be interpreted as “actions” which make raise the “alarm bells”.
  • To stimulate the youngsters to be able to make a positive choice and make responsible and independent decisions when they face conflicting situations.
  • Give young people an approach to the theatre showing how it is done, stimulating and strengthening future spectators.

Development of the activity

The activity consists of two parts which complement each other:

The 1st part represents the creation of a family until the moment when the child becomes a teenager and is sitting at the table having lunch with his parents. Different situations related to the abuse and negligence, violence in family life, the influence of mass media and violence among iquals are being introduced through the family conversation. The violence against women is also reflected.

The 2nd part opens a theatrical debate that invites the public to participate actively raising and discussing the questions evoked during the presentation with an emphasis on the school bullying.

Preparation of the group

It is advisable to inform the group which is going to assist about the subject beforehand and analyse it afterwards during a tutorial. We recommend useful materials for these activitites that can be found on the website: Xarxa Telemàtica Educativa de Catalunya

After the performance: an afterward tutorial can be held using the following draft – script of the play “That´s enough..!” and reflections, worked out with the collaboration of the town hall of Canet de Mar – Youth Area.

The draft - script of the play "That's enough..!" and reflections

This document is a draft of the theatre play “That´s enough…!” that works on prevention of the violence among youngsters and teenagers. The draft addressed to teachers underlines various scenes of the play that seem relevant to us, but not exhaustive. We have added some refletions and comments in order to stimulate the reflection of the students. We hope that it will be useful for afterward work and reflection in a classroom.

Scene Family 1

Dani, Núria, Toni (son)

Situation 1: when a baby Toni cries a lot at the time of going to bed… and they get very nervous. In what kind of a surrounding the child grows up?

Situation 2: the child is playing. Nobody pays attention at him. Makes noise and fall down from a chair and gets hurt. They hit him. The parents argue. The child puts his fingers into a plug and gets hooked… was there another manner to act?

German is already 15 years old. He seems a normal guy and helps around the house. However, who cooks dinner? (reflection around the distribution of roles and tasks)

Scene Family 2

Marta, Manolo, Rodolfo (son) and Paco (84 years old and some degree of dementia)

The son comes home. He says that he doesn’t feel well (later we’ll find out that he suffers from bullying).

Teatracció
That is enough Teatracció
That is enough Teatracció

Manolo watches a footbal match on TV with the grandpa. But the later wants to see series. They don’t take proper care of the grandpa (they don’t help him to eat, to change…). It looks like the family is overwhelmed and the situation is difficult to deal with. Could they organize everything in a different way? Could they establish a better environment by improving the organization?

Scene Family 3

Father, mother and Germán (the son)

Teatracció
That is enough Teatracció

The father and the mother are too strict. German as a child wanted to play basketball, but they made him do classical ballet. German always obeys his parents. He doensn’t want to go to the final classes of ballet. He spits on his father and shuts himself in his room. Discussion between German’s mother and father. The mother acuses him of being selfish, although they have never taken care of his interests. How must German feel? Do they consider him? Do they respect his interests?

German is already 15 years old. We can see him taking his mother’s money. It’s Christmas. German wants to go out. His mother speaks of his friends as “a band of timewasters”. German says to her: “A crap of a mum”. The mother doesn’t respect her son. The son doesn’t respect his mother… Is it possible to break this chain of disrespect? He shuts himself in his room to play Lara Croft (“a violent game”) Does playing this game encourage violent attitudes? Does it strengthen them?

A call from the school. They are being said that their son is agressive.

While arguing the father pushes the mother. What kind of pressure is there in this house? Is it normal? Is it good? Who is responsible for it?

Toni (family 1) comments to his parents that German fights at school. They tell him that if he doesn’t say anything he is also involved. He is afraid to speak and to seem a sneak. What can we do when we witness an attitude like the one of German?

Scene in the yard and in the street

German keeps saying “sucker” to everybody and even hurts his friend, the girl with pipes. They meet Rodolfo and play a “flap”. The teacher appears when they have already assaulted Rodolfo. The teacher advises Rodolfo to go back. Is this advise correct?

Both are at the Director´s office and German threatens to the director “Don´t even think to call my Dad!” Sometimes there is also violence towards the teachers. Have you ever whitnessed this? What can you do about it?

There is a moment when they record a video with a mobile phone of how they assault Rodolfo. What harm can be made with this images? Is it legal to record and share person´s images without their agreement? (reflections around the usage of photos and social networks)

The problem moves to the street. Rodolfo plays with the console. German’s friend plays with him. Rodolfo is a good guy. German apperars and thinks that Rodolfo teases him. They beat him.

Finally Rodolfo can’t stand it anymore and and turns very violent. Did Rodolfo have any other alternative? And German’s friend?

Reflections

What types of violence are there? School bullying, gender bullying, bullying to old people, children, to a director by children…

What do the others do when German teases people? The girl with the pipes, those who watch and do nothing… why do they do that? Becuase they’re afraid to lose the friendship? Do they encourage him?

Is it normal to be afraid? Is it normal to be afraid every day? What can we do?

German accumulates anger. His parents have been very strict. Does it justify the violence? What does affect us? Environment (family, friends…), the TV and video games …

Who do they tease? With the new, the fat, the freak, the different… All of us are different!!!

Can we suffer bullying? We must walk in other people´s shoes.

What kind of violence is better? Physical or psycological? The psycological is very difficult to identify!