Problem Description
Building on the process model for participatory arts projects in care contexts—developed in earlier research—AP University College researchers support the creation of a theatre production with young people from MPC Ter Bank in Heverlee and youth centre Sojo vzw. Together, they work towards an inclusive leisure offering for young people with and without intellectual disabilities.
In collaboration with these two partners, as well as Het Huispaleis and the creative content makers of De Idealist vzw, the AP researchers experiment with participatory theatre as a leisure activity that brings diverse groups together. Using this case, the research team reflects on the transferability of the project’s insights to the broader field of participatory arts initiatives with a social purpose.
The use of visual arts and performing arts methods for social objectives is not new. Across Flanders, various organisations in social work, care, education, and leisure use arts based approaches to pursue social and psychosocial goals. This research project aims to make a modest but valuable contribution to the long term development of this knowledge field and to strengthen cooperation between actors in the artistic, social, socio educational, and care sectors.
To achieve this, we involve diverse experts throughout the research process and collaborate with these partners on a proposal for an international follow up project.
Research Questions
This project is guided by the following key research questions:
- What principles and conditions enable participatory drama to offer a meaningful, inclusive leisure activity for a mixed group of young people with and without intellectual disabilities?
- How do participating young people and professional partners experience and evaluate this experiment, and what can we learn from these insights for future participatory arts projects with similar social objectives?
- What does this test case reveal about the usefulness, added value, and limitations of the developed process model for participatory arts projects?