Social Change Network SCN
Vision
Contribute to the building of a caring and sharing society, based on social justice, peace and compassion.
Mission
Building effective and efficient networks at national, regional, and global levels among theatre workers who are engaged in transformative action with the aim of positive social transformation (with special emphasis to conflict / post-conflict societies).
Aims
• Mapping, coordination and promotion of national networks.
• Set up an information and coordination hub at the National Centre of ITI in Colombo.
• Plan and promote events of bilateral, multilateral encounters as well as exchange programs among contributing theatre groups and artistes at regional and international levels.
• To strengthen the networking committee to ensure it remains highly functional and vibrant.
Future Plans
The following common future plans submitted and approved by the congress meeting will be properly implemented.
1. Launch the Global Peace Movement: “Not by Force But by Art” with UNESCO patronage organized by the Philippine Earthsavers UNESCO Artist for Peace and ITI Social Change Network through a Music Dance Theatre Concert with artists from claimant countries in the conflicted China Sea in 2017 as Philippines chair ASEAN 2017 under the leadership of President Rodrigo Duterte with assistance of DFA-ASEAN-UNACOM to be held either on October UN week on December Human Rights Week 2017.
2. An International conference under the banner theme "Theatre of Renaissance for Humanity in a Green Society" organized in Sri Lanka in mid-2018 to work out future plans in using theatre for social change
3. Developing and launching social media spaces for interactive work.
4. Use Global webcast of the award-winning Philippine Radio Balintataw to feature a Broadcast Theatre Festival on Social Change beyond borders with a drama serial on SDGs including a conference on folk wisdom and indigenous heritage as rich source for socially relevant theatre materials coordinated through the Philippine ITI Committee communications
5. Initiate a cultural exchange programme with emphasis on theatre for social change.
6. Utilize Theatre Networks for effective cultural communications for building community resilience and rehabilitation due to climate catastrophes and armed conflict through healing workshops for trauma of victims of war, climate and drugs, setting an International Award for Theatre for Social Change related to UN conference like COP on Climate Change or UNESCO event such as International Arts Education Week or World Theatre Week either as a playwriting or production competition or exceptional patronage to inspire & encourage best practices
7. Philippines Dance Exchange programme coordinated by NCCA in partnership with Philippine ITI Dance Committee linked to an annual Street Theatre Festival for the observance of World Dance Day for Peace and Conflict Rapprochement. It can be related to the Shanghai dance Festival. Spain and Mexico expressed interest and willingness to collaborate with the Philippines as a triangulated collaboration to provide a face of Dia de Galeón on the 70th Anniversary of ITI.
8. Activities will be launched for collecting information on theatre companies, teams and individual practitioners worldwide to build up the Social Change Network of ITI. A powerful social media campaign will be carried out and a website and a face book page will be created and maintained for this. Music and songs created and expressed on the social change and Video clips on activities of the members of the SCN worldwide will be collected and include in the website and Facebook. Efforts will be taken to publicise a CD included with music and songs on righteous Social Change through joint coordination efforts of Philippine presidency and Sri Lanka secretariat.
NOTE: These were programmes of the Social Change Network approved through the General Assembly, July, 2017
Other activities to be implement during the years 2017/18 by members presented by the Social Change Network reported by its President also approved at the closing ceremony, July 22, 2017:
Philippine Centre of the ITI
The Philippine ITI Centre through the Earthsavers UNESCO Artist for Peace is participating in a high-level organization of a special conference in Cartagena, Colombia organized by the South South Collaboration Council (SSCC) about sharing best practices from 5 continents on rapprochement and integration after completing decades of armed conflict with the Farc rebels, November 3 to 5, 2017.
The cultural caregiving services nationwide, organized through Earthsavers Dream Center / UNESCO Artist for Peace year round as a mobile workshop in provinces throughout the year to vulnerable groups for rehabilitation and healing trauma of victims of conflict and climate refugees, empowerment of persons with disabilities synergized with the out-of-school, indigenous youth as well as to instill appreciation of heritage and environmental protection and building of an educational institute for lifelong techno arts learning will rise in Aklan at the last quarter of 2018 for the 70th year anniversary of ITI while the Philippine ITI secretariat and social change network base will return to the University of Makati with satellite centres in the regions.
The Young Theatre Practitioners Award initiated by Philippine Centre is planned to be expanded as a uniquely designed award for Social Change in the Asia-Pacific Network where Philippine heads the sub-regional ASEAN-Pacific Bureau.
Philippine-Spain Twinning Programme
This social change paradigm demonstrated by the Philippine Centre is appropriately agreed upon to be twinned with the parallel comprehensive program undertaken by the local government of Segovia led by the Mayor of Segovia, the Honourable Clara Luquero and its Spanish Centre through a relevant twinning project between Segovia and the City of Echague (formerly known as Nova Segovia) led by Mayor Kiko Dy in the province of Isabela including educational, heritage-based tourism, trade exchanges and creative industry to provide a vivid face of continuity of the hosting of the 35th Congress of the ITI on the theme of Arts Transforming societies towards peace and sustainable development.
Philippine-Vietnam Co-Production
For the program of the 70th Anniversary of ITI hosted through a festival in Vietnam, a collaborative production of a Vietnamese play with persons with disabilities (PWDs) will be undertaken first on broadcast theatre at Balintataw on DZRH national and global webcast while a LIVE presentation will be showcased through the courtesy of the Vietnamese Centre of ITI and the Philippine ITI through its Earthsavers Artist for Peace.
A resolution of thanks from Social Change Network led by Philippines and Sri Lanka to the Spanish Center the government of Segovia and San Idelfonso led by the mayors and the ITI Secretariat led by Director-General Tobias Biancone and President Mohamed Al Afkham.
In the membership project teams of the Philippine ITI seat of presidency are: Frank Rivera, Gardy Labad, Gigi Velarde-David, Sonny Valencia, Susan A. Claudio.
Dance Committee chaired by Lisa Macuja with the collaboration of the Philippine ITI Communications & Festival Committees led by Jose Laderas Santos assisted by Ellen Toquero to be joined the ITI led Higher Education Network in the Philippines linked with Seoul Institute of the Arts and based at the University of Makati (UMAK)
Sri Lanka
1 September to 15 October 2017 – Street Theatre campaign against the prevailing Sinhala & Buddhist racism
1 to 30 November 2017 – 2 fifteen days Residential Workshops for Schooling Students based on "Education for Social Cohesion"
15 February to 30 March 2018 – First Mobile Theatre Festival of the year and School programmes in Kandy District (Central Province)
August (dates to be decided) 2018 – International Conference based on "Theatre for Social Change"
Italy
In 2017 and 2018 – Continue the publication of European Journal "Theatres of Diversities" that I founded on 1996 at the University of Urbino (Italy) and the Magazine "Cercare, Carcere Anagramma di" entirely dedicated to Theatre and Prison on international level.
The initiative is promoted in collaboration with the National Coordination of Theatre in Prisons, headed by Teatro Aenigma, and that involves 44 theatre companies that work in prisons, and that promote every year from 2014 the National Day of Theatre in Prisons, contextually to the World Theatre Day. For the edition 2017, 99 events were organized all over Italy, with 4 initiatives abroad (Tunisia, USA, France, Argentina), with the involvement of 54 prisons and the Ministry of Justice and other 42 institutions. The intention is to develop the initiative at international scale. The work of documentation (magazines and books) will be promoted in collaboration with Committee of Publications.
Colombia
September 2017 – The ITI Colombian Centre in conjunction with the International Theatre Festival of the Caribbean has been attended by artists from ITI Centres such as Iceland, Spain, France, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Brazil, Finland, Germany and among others, who have contributed development of the cultural life of Latin American region.
Spain
Cultural programme in Madrid Opera House arranging for twining on work transforming disable persons integrated with professional artists linked with the Philippine Centre of the ITI.
South Korea - KIDPAF
22 to 30 September 2018 – Regional Seminar on Conflict Resolution and Community Theatre at Incheon, Theatre Activists from Japan, Korea and China will be invited
Uganda – Uganda Centre of ITI
December 2017 – Launch of Children's Theatre Festival
2 January 2018 – Starting of mobilization for World Theatre celebrations, Workshops for Skills development on Acting, Play Writing, Directing and Management will be conducted.
27 March 2018 – World Theatre Day Celebrations with the sponsorship of ITI National Centre, Uganda.
2 June to 30 August 2018 – Joint Theatre Workshops for different communities with the International collaborations of theatre practitioners from different countries such as Spain, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh.
1 to 18 December 2018 – Theatre Workshops for upcoming theatre artists both in Kampala and Hoima Districts
Togo in 2017/2018
Planning and implementing community theatre activities on social change to unite different ethnic communities in the conflicts ridden areas in the country
Congo – National Centre of ITI 2017-2018
15 to 30 March 2018 – Organizing a festival with the theme of "Living in Harmony"
Activities for World Theatre and Dance Day
Mexican Centre of ITI/UNESCO- linkage for the 70th Anniversary celebration of ITI including programs for indigenous peoples of Latin America
Board Members
Cecile GUIDOTE ALVAREZ, President, Philippines
Parakrama NIRIELLA, Secretary, Sri Lanka
Jerome DE SILVA, Sri Lanka
Lucian BULATHSINHALA, Sri Lanka
Luz Patricia MORENO LINERO, Colombia
Marife SANTIAGO, Spain
Marta Villegas FONTELA, Spain
Vito MINOIA, Italy
Abdul Hameed ALSALEH, Saudi Arabia
RHEE Jaesang, South Korea
Jessica A. KAAHWA, Uganda
KIM Jinman, South Korea
Julien MENSAH, Togo
Yvon Lewa-Let MANDAH, Congo
Ivana KOCEUSKA, Macedonia
Georgette GEBARA, Lebanon
Isabel QUINTANAR, Mexico
Patricia EUVITES, Mexico
Viktor SEBEK, Vice-President for Sustainable Development concerns, Colombia
Yoo Duk HYUNG, Vice-President for Collaborative Theatre Educational programs, South Korea
Contact
For more information about the Theatre for Social Change Network SCN please connect with:
Cecile GUIDOTE ALVAREZ: cecilia.alvarez7(at)icloud.com
Parakrama NIRIELLA: janakaraliya(at)gmail.com
Viktor SEBEK: vsebek2008(at)gmail.com
Documentation
>>Planned Activities Report 2014
>>Interim Activity Report 2014-2016