November 25 was the Day against Gender-based Violence and our school took a look at one of the most flagrant problems in our society.
The chosen format to commemorate the day was the “Theatre Forum” designed and put into practice by the Drama, Spanish Language Arts, and Philosophy-Citizenship team at CIG. This concept, immersive and participatory, which allows the audience to play an active role in what happens on the stage, was used as a metaphor to demonstrate the power of the individual as an agent for change.
It was a call to action and a means of advancing toward a more equal society which should be on the horizon and motivation for current generations and those to come.
In different areas of the school, one class performed a micro-theatre piece for another through which situations depicting harassment, discrimination, or which made a critique on gender were recreated. These are situations that are more common than they should be for our times. After the first show, a new play began and this time it could be stopped by any audience member shouting “stop”.
The person who detected the injustice would be the one in charge of going up to the stage and continuing the scene, improvising, as he or she thought was best, acting from a place of respect.
Through these black pixels on this white electronic paper, we cannot convey the emotion, empathy, alternatives, hunger for tolerance, and the desire for progress that our students embodied, making it clear that tomorrow belongs to them and they will do their best to make it a better place for all.
This is why here at CIG, we do these types of activities. It helps build people of the 21st century, going beyond mere academics. Understanding that difference is the norm and that many worlds make up our society are fundamental values that will help our future to look like the one that our students began to build yesterday with their words.
