There aren’t many things I remember studying at university. But I do remember discovering Paulo Freire. His commitment to and understanding of humanity.. always an inspiration.
Pedagogy of Freedom, Ethics, Democracy and Civic Courage

Paulo Freire, (View link…)

1992 – 2006 English and Drama teacher for fourteen years in Australia, England, China and Spain. Each job different from the last: In Australia, English and Drama to newly arrived refugee children and young adults from the Horn of Africa, Sudan, Afghanistan, China, Russia and Vietnam. In East London, English and Drama to newly arrived migrant children from Bengal and India. On my four trips to China, I have taught English at different universities.

Some students that I have taught in Australia have had their families tortured and killed in wars. Some have never been to school before or had their schooling interrupted. The older ones are used to rote learning and physical punishment. Initially, some don´t understand the choices or the different relationships with teachers in Australia. Some are angry and frustrated and don´t want to be in Australia. They are homesick for a home that doesn´t exist anymore.

Usually, for most, time passes and they begin to speak English, they make a few friends and a new journey begins. The sight of little Afghan girls, head scarves falling off, running, kicking and scoring a goal in a soccer game, are the images that remain, long after the harder days have past.

CCD Pedagogy..

2005 After the CCD Photography project El Somni, I was invited to return to Barcelona as a guest speaker and Forum theatre facilitator for the Granollers CCD International Conference.

The idea of the conference was born from Granollers Council´s quest to define:

What is a CDD artist / arts practitioner? How do these artists /arts practitioners define CCD? How are projects conceived, constructed, funded, sustained in other countries?

During the workshop to define CCD, it became apparent that it was an incredibly difficult thing we were all attempting to achieve. Instinctively, we all felt that the work we do is parallel. Listening to the workshop by the theatre director working with intellectually disabled people in Argentina, the director from a circus with street children in Mexico and the theatre director working with children in poor neighbourhoods in Barcelona, I heard language, ideas and approches that was in many ways similar to my work. Yes, we agreed without needing to spell out that our work and drive is about creating social change through the arts. Yet, when we all sat down to come up with ONE phrase to define CCD, ideas were passionately challenged across the room. One idea was that you should be an accomplished artist before you do CCD work, while another participant felt that it was more important to have strong social views and that “everyone is an artist”. So, in the end we did come up with a phrase. It will be in a book about to be published May 2007 by Granollers Council and as soon as I get a copy I will add the phrase to this page. I have written the prologue for the book. The book has been produced by my work partner in Barcelona, Txus Pedrosa. It is a series of interviews and essays written by CCD artists from several different countries, including Barbara Santos, Director from the Augusto Boal Theatre of the Oppressed, Brazil.

During the conference week, the 25 or so arts workers and practitioners sat in lecture halls, in a theatre, in workshop spaces, on hall flooboard floors, on chairs, on steps, in restaurants, in the town square…The point is, during the three stages of the conferences, we had opportunties to collaborate as teachers and students, as colleagues who could take this time to challenge and enquire.

The CCD artists presented their work in a variety of ways: essay, video footage, powerpoint, workshop. Beyond the artistic approaches of projects, it was clear that the main differences between artists was access and opportunity for funding in their country. Projects for example, from Argentina received little to no funding and the artists explained that they often fundraise in order to work. While the projects that were presented from U.K artists were funded so that the artists could sustain an income for months by working on one project and the projects were affiliated with several organisations, universities and philanthropic bodies. Philanthropy was discussed extensively as it was a mystical and almost unbelievable concept for the Spanish and Catalonian CCD artists at the conference. I mentioned it as part of my talk and later a Catalonian CCD academic who had recently returned to Barcelona after doing research in the U.S, spoke about the presence and vital role of cultural brokerage and philanthropy in CCD in the U.S.

All in all, it was a productive conference, considering it was a big leap for Granollers Council to host such an event and the experimental nature with which it was done. Some areas could have been stronger, if there had been funding to employ more experienced staff. The conclusive workshops were led by young facilitators, which at times seemed to lack structure, but in another way, did allow the conference participants to enjoy the relaxed approach of these workshops at the end of each intense day of speakers and workshops.

Granollers Council went on to run with the CCD idea and created the first CCD postgradute course in affiliation with the Autonomous University of Barcelona. I was invited to teach the Methodology component, but declined due to other commitments.

In March 2007, Granollers Council ran the next CCD conference. Interestingly they focused on the local annual festival called “Fiesta Mayor”. These festivals take place each summer in each town and in each neighbourhood in central Barcelona. They are very traditional in their content and approach. Catalonians feel proud of their Fiesta Mayor, as it reinforces and revives Catalonian culture, it is a time to see friends, and spend a few nights of the year out in the streets with live music and events.

In 2006 I was invited to be one of the secret judges of the Granollers Fiesta Mayor. My job was to attend events run by rival local groups, Blues and Whites. Each year these two teams organise events and a group of secret judges allocate points for the event: creativity, inclusion of community, aesthetic quality, are some of the criteria. On the final night of the Fiesta, all the judges met in a secret place and voted the best team. The winner is announced by the Mayor from the balcony of the town square’s council building. I stood up there, beside my friend the Mayor of Granollers, champagne glass in hand, looking down onto the crowd, feeling a bit special and a bit silly. Which is probably a good way to feel in participating in Fiesta Mayor.

Referring back to the CCD conference, my invitation from Granollers Council, consisted of presenting a lecture and then facilitating a Forum Theatre workshop process and performance. (see theatre projects for text and images).

(photographs by Vivian Lyon)

2005 Barcelona. Presentation titled “What does CCD mean? What is the Australian CCD model? What is CCD project methodology? Theory and practices based on Australia Council for Arts literature, The Fourth Pillar of Sustainability by Jon Hawkes coupled with essays from my own CCD projects.

The presentation also included the viewing of an 8 minute video, 2003 Brunswick Women´s Theatre project, Pretend You´re Asleep, a Forum theatre performance. There are two scenes, incest and domestic violence. I play the mother of the young woman, my daughter who, after 20 years tells me about being sexually abused by her father, my husband throughout her childhood. I am a mother in denial and choose to turn away. The footage shows performances and intense audience interventions with Mad World by Gary Jules, as its soundtrack. Pretend You´re Asleep toured to many locations in Melbourne, Australia including the Federation Square stage.

2005-6 Presented at the following events and venues:

- City of Rubi Council, Barcelona, Police and neighbourhood conference

- City of Mollet Council, Barcelona, CCD conference

- City of Tarragona Council, Catalonia, CCD conference

- Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Postgraduate Social Sciences tutorial

- Experimentem amb L´Art Espai E Art, Barcelona, TV program

- Catalunya Radio interview

2007 Speaker at CDN Cultural Development Network, Melbourne, Australia, CCD international project presentations
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