Preda Youth Theater group gets standing ovations in Ireland
(republishing, copying, no restrictions)
By: Father Shay Cullen
The
Preda youth theater group won standing ovations in Galway and Dublin and
met the mayor of both famous cities at civic receptions put on for the
group.
For their powerful performance in Ireland as part of the European tour this last 21 April to May 26th. The Tour began with the arrival and first stay in Graystones parish in the Co. Wicklow as that parish has a justice apostolate called 2 Coats that symbolize sharing half of what we have in the parish with the poor and the exploited. The parish 24 hour of hard labor project has made spectacular fund raising captivities this year.
It invited Preda theater group in 2006. This year they had a big fund raising for a new Preda children's home. There were some visits to the schools in the parish from April 21st. Then the group went to Galway community college with the coordination and organizing ability of Philip Cribbin college professor, a Phd in human rights studies graduate, and is the project representative of Preda in Galway and coordinator of the college. Due to his organizing and inspirational ability there was a powerful and coordinated community response from the principal and teachers of the College.
On the 23rd April to May 3 the theater group performed the play in the college and at various locations around the county. In the college also there were several workshops with the students mostly group dynamic sessions that helped the Irish students to interact through action games with the non- Irish nationals. There are 28 different nationalities the school.
Racial
Discrimination is sometimes a problem and the barriers of culture and
race blocks for good interchange. The workshops achieved breakthroughs.
Teachers monitoring were amazed to see their normally shy and withdrawn
students of different races and non participating Irish students mixing
freely and friendly after the sessions. Those students who believe it is
not „cool°, to mix with others of different cultures and who normally
stand apart and refuse to participate in group activities were seen to
give in to the friendly persuasion of the game facilitators and
participate. By the second activity there were boisterous part of the
activity as the TV coverage shows. There was also a TV report on the
whole activity on local TV. A psychological breakthrough one teacher
said. „For a whole year, I couldn't persuade them to get into things
with the others now in a hour there they are°.. (joining in)
The fact that the trainers and facilitators were young teenage Filipino facilitators full of self confidence and enthusiasm motivated the whole group and had no connection to the school authority figures helped break the reluctance. The video of the sessions shows happy children of all nationalities participating in group games and enjoying themselves. There were integrating in this way.
The
theater presentation played to full hall at the college on two occasions
and in other locations. The were cultural dances performed in full
Filipino native costumes and the children of the participating primary
schools were then invited to join the dances which they did with great
joy and enthusiasm. The parish priest came also and joined in the dance.
In all venues the Preda group hung large tarp posters with photos of
children behind bars around the school and in the hall and the children
then had a question and answer session about the kids behind bars.
They
could not believe that this is going on today. The teachers were also
amazed and they responded to the fund raising activities for the new
children home for kids to be released from prisons by Preda. Fr. Shay
Cullen gave short talks and inspirational inputs to the communities
especially teachers and local government officials to support the human
development efforts and human rights education throughout the year.
FAIR TRADE EDUCATION AND PROMOTION. Sadly despite the many invitations and encouragement by the coordinator to the fair trade advocacy groups in the city there was a weak response and also from the the Fair Trade representatives in the city. Preda brought a craftsman to give basket weaving demonstrations and explanations about the positive impact of fair trade in the lives of the people in the Philippines served by Preda Fair Trade.
There was a reception by the Lord Mayor of Galway and various officials and member of the City council attended. They made a commitment to support fair trade and human rights issues in the coming year.
The Theater group went to Dublin 29 April after ten day in Galway. Caroline Jones, a parish organizer in Graystones and also an official of the Dublin service board organized the tour in Dublin. There was an exciting visit to the Mansion House and a reception by the mayor. This was also organized by Caroline Jones. The group performed in Dublin City Hall to a full youth audience organized by the Dublin Service Board. The mayor attended the performance also. The facilities sound, light, stage, seating etc. were set up to perfection at some expense and a fine reception was catered afterwards.
The Chief Executive Officer of the City of Dublin Vocational Education Committee (CDVEC) was also there as one who rarely attends functions it was a serious recognition of the value of the performance. She was reported as telling her staff that the musical play was the kind of education that you cant get elsewhere today.
The City Service Board runs many youth projects and trains youth volunteers around the city. The youthful audience was not rowdy and inattentive and some feared they would be. They were glued to the story of the musical play as it told in the drama, song and dance the story of teenagers being trafficked abroad and exploited, abducted and abused and saved by good people. The strong content of the play seemed to strike a cord with them and they were focused for the entire hour and erupted in a standing ovation at the conclusion.
Fr. Shay Cullen gave a special inspirational talk to
the Service Board volunteers on May 2nd. The theater group performed in
two other schools and met with the Graystones parish group before they
left on 3rd of May to Germany to continue a month long tour. The two
youth facilitators remained in Ireland to facilitate and give
orientation to Youth groups around Dublin and Graystones especially for
the youth traveling to the Philippines in August. There will be about 20
and they will have special sessions with the two (2) Preda facilitators
to prepare them for the cultural shock they can expect on arriving in
the Philippines for immersion and exposure.
