Violent conflict disrupts millions of lives, including those of the world’s youth. But when youth are engaged positively and given a voice, they can play vital roles in building peace. This toolkit is designed to introduce young people to an innovative theater methodology that creatively examines and transforms conflict. After working through the exercises in this manual, youth will be equipped to lead community dialogue as agents of positive change.
This facilitation guide and theater curriculum were created for the USAID-funded Youth Theater for Peace (YTP) project. Since its launch in 2010, YTP has promoted sustainable conflict prevention at the community level through theater. YTP trained 284 youth and adults in conflict mitigation through the use of interactive theater in four conflict-affected regions of Kyrgyzstan. The result was the creation of 33 schoolbased drama clubs, which reached more than 50,000 audience members.
Youth leaders and adult facilitators can use the Drama for Conflict Transformation Toolkit to create a customized training agenda based on their needs, timetable, and cultural context.