The Youth Going Live (YOUGO) project has been a journey that began in 2021. We reflect on the moments and experiences shared with amazing people from six different countries: Greece – Poland – Bulgaria – Senegal – Nygeria – Togo.
From March 26 to April 5, 2022, in Ziguinchor, Senegal, participants shared and compared their understanding of the main topics of the training course. They also developed skills and competencies in new non-formal methods by experimenting with alternative educational techniques. Additionally, due to the international setting of the training, participants’ inter-cultural competencies were strengthened.
Between May 4 and 18, 2022, in Lomé, Togo, the cycle of residencies began with dance, music, and the batik technique. Artists and performers from Bulgaria, Greece, Poland, and Senegal met in Lomé as guests of Acet-Togo. The participants co-created a performance that communicated the collective identity of the working group while showcasing the unique mix of their artistic qualities. In less than a week, the invited artists created a full show that was presented as part of the local dance festival and will travel to Greece next autumn as part of the Youth Going Live Awareness Festival Programme.
Between May 12 and 28, 2022, in Targovishte, Bulgaria, artists from Europe and Africa took part in the Theatre Residency hosted by Open Space Foundation. During the two-week period, they worked, lived, and created together. The final performance, titled “Youth Going Active,” featured guest actors from Greece, Poland, Nigeria, and Rwanda, taking part in its creation and presentation. It also featured professionals from the National Puppet Theatre Targovishte and young members of the local theatre club. The non-verbal act presented the questions and doubts that leave contemporary youngsters sleepless, and the performance was by and for young people, featuring their music, dance, choreography, and hopes.
Between June 25 and July 11, 2022, in Athens, Greece, six talented musicians attended one of the art residencies organised and hosted by Inter Alia. Over the past year, performing artists and musicians traveled to Ziguinchor, Lomé, Poznan, Targovishte, and Athens to co-create and produce original performances inspired by local cultures and customs. The project brought together musicians, dancers, actors, drama coaches, choreographers, and, more importantly, created networks of people, artists, and youth workers looking to make changes in their communities. We are thrilled to welcome all these amazing creatives to Athens this November to celebrate their journeys and watch their final performances.
Between August 19 and 24, 2022, in Senegal, during the Art Residency, people from Europe and Africa used art in its numerous guises as a medium of communication between performers and the locals. They took part in many workshops, trainings, and collaborated to prepare for their performance, which they gave in front of a large audience.
Between September 5 and 19, 2022, in Poznan, Poland, during the Art Residency, participants from different countries and continents, namely Europe and Africa, used art, in its numerous forms, as a tool of communication between performers and the local community. The project started with participants getting familiar with the place they were to live in for the whole period of the project. Participants used Strefa Do-Wolnosci (Zone to Freedom), where the CIM Horyzonty office is located, as the meeting place. The theater room was chosen as the main place to hold meetings as it resonated with the spirit of the project.
THE FINAL PERFORMANCE – CROSSINGS
After 5 Art Residencies and 1 TC, a multicultural theatre-music-dance performance conceived by 20 international artists and directed by Aphrodite Mitsopoulou & Iakovos Molybakis, marked the completion of YouGo’s journey. Artists from Poland, Bulgaria, Togo, Senegal, Nigeria and Greece met for the first time on stage, and with their lived stories and experiences, they tried to create a new future, transferring to the public their cultural commonalities and differences, expressing and exploring themselves.
