workshop: overcoming differences

Media: photography/video
Date: December 2007 - January 2008
Location: Sin El Fil, Insan Association
Facilitator: Simba Russeau, assisted by May Farra and Mirna Minassian
Participants - Sony, Nicha, Mona, Wissam, Hanin, Sara, Louage, Douaa, Ramez, Malak, Simon

The aim of this workshop was to bring together young people aged 11-16 from various backgrounds in a creative exploration of the use of journalist techniques to create dialogue. Many of the participants were refugees or children of domestic workers in Lebanon who face marginalization in a country not their own. Placed in a group for the first time, they were constantly divided through racist stereotypes picked up from society and their new environment.

Journalism is a profession that many individuals aspire to on account of the prospect of adventure or travel and opportunities to witness new cultures and events. For the facilitator the techniques of journalism were a way of finding expression and empowerment. The camera was a means of communicating images of the scenes I would witness.

Learning the art of storytelling and interviewing allowed me to feel empowered to ask questions and to view the world as my classroom. These tools have been instrumental in developing my character as well as offering a way to heal the wounds of the many images and stories I’ve carried til now. The four-day workshop used polaroids, interviewing techniques and video as a creative platform for the participants to safely step outside of their comfort zones and explore their immediate environment through the use of multimedia.

The participants were able to learn constructive methods of communication, recognise their similarities and find out how to work as a group. “In the beginning the kids did not talk to each other and they would fight all the time but during the workshop they had a chance to spend time with each other. Now they still fight but not as much and they play more and have become closer as a result of the workshop,” says Charles Nasrallah, Director of the Insan School.

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