Catholic Mission’s Village Space involves real life stories of peoples and their struggles to overcome injustice in their communities.

Through the medium of interactive dramatised storytelling the audience is taken on a journey into the lives of peoples and their communities in ‘majority/developing world’ countries.

The use of scripted dialogue, song, dance, movement, music, visuals and simple props, taps into the audiences’ senses, impacting on the heart, mind and emotions. The audience readily empathises with the characters’ feelings of fear, anger, sadness and frustration, as well as determination and hope. Empathy is the beginning of the participants’ motivation to work towards a just world.

The Village Space program is a great educational tool and can be a springboard into specific Key Learning Areas, especially Religious Education and Society and Environment. It provides inspiration for Social Justice Action within the school.

The Other Side of the Story

The stories in the Village Space performance are of real people courageously struggling in the face of injustice, giving voice to a person or people who have been silenced: Indigenous Australians, refugees, street-children, aid workers and peoples of developing countries.

It is a chance for those with no voice, the oppressed and the least powerful to share their story in the hope that they be empowered and affirmed through having their stories told, acknowledged and understood.

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The Labyrinth

To enter the Village Space participants link hands and spiral into the space forming a human labyrinth. The labyrinth is a spiritual symbol which crosses cultures and periods of history. Its symbolism is profound and in the walking there is prayer.

The Human Labyrinth

When participants form the human labyrinth and enter the Village Space area, the Christian meaning of the labyrinth is highlighted. By connecting with people physically we acknowledge our interconnectedness.

Jesus' love and teaching started small, but soon grew as more people came into contact with the good news which began from only one man at the centre.

To connect with another requires a reaching out. Jesus reached out to touch, give and heal people who were considered the untouchables.

In encouraging participants to connect with each other, we are encouraging them to follow in Jesus' way of reaching out to all others, indiscriminately.

Being missionary requires reaching out locally as well as globally. In the Village Space we travel overseas to 'majority/developing world' countries but we also have local stories about Reconciliation, Refugees and Discrimination.
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Audience Involvement

A powerful feature of the Village Space is the high level of audience participation. The students are immersed in the unfolding drama all around them, as they sing and move, form a wave or act out ‘being a train' for example.

The audience is addressed directly with eye contact and questions. They are imbued with the character of orphans and villagers. Some are given specific roles (e.g. child soldiers, war victims) and lines to read. The close proximity of the action challenges them to experience life as another, to feel firsthand the injustices suffered by others.

The dramatic storytelling is followed by a debriefing session to help students focus on the issues highlighted in the performance and how they are connected. The student is challenged to consider how they promote ‘Life for All’ starting with their personal decisions and how this impacts on others.
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Take action!

The situations in Catholic Mission's Village Space call for organised action from a Christian faith perspective in response to the injustices of poverty, unfair distribution of resources and abuse of the vulnerable.

These justice actions may include advocacy, prayerful concern for others, a growth in spiritual awareness, and resource and wealth sharing. An essential question in the debriefing is always "What is your response from a Gospel perspective?"

Action sheets have been developed to provide suggested responses such as increasing awareness through discussion and research, how to become a critical consumer, getting involved with a community group or acting on behalf of others in some role of advocacy and support. These can be found in the Teacher's Resources section.
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Village Space In Action

See Village Space in action, and how it resonates its message to the participating audience.

Contact

Please contact us to discuss the availability of the Village Space program,