The Case Of: Reflection (The Entry That Had To Be Done)

So, it's all over with the children. All good things have to end, but this ending could have been better.

Kids were very bored at times, and even though these were just moments, it was still sad to see them this way. When we got our feedback, there were jabs thrown towards the games we played last week (on 7th).

Then again, I think they are better prepared for their first play with a love of theatre, and that was our goal throughout the project. I'm glad we made it this far, and I'm happy about the work we've done.

I thank Duyarlı OzU for organizing such a wonderful task, and I thank the mentors of this project for keeping everyone in check.

The main challenge of the project was the long road I had to go through, but I solved this problem by staying at my dorm room for one more day. Other than that, the school was very supportive of our act, so we didn't have a problem there, and I believe this support helped me to connect with the children and to teach them, which was the responsibility of all participants, and I think we've all did what we were entitled to do.

The project is still new (began at the start of this term) as far as I know, so I'd love to come back to this project as a mentor and I'd love to help developing this project further and to expand the problem of these wonderful kids not growing up with a love of theatre.

I think that this activity will have a long-lasting effect on those children's lives, and even though the project does not look so big, I believe it will provide a positive change for the community with an increased love of art in the kids.

This project led me back to my childhood for so many times that I've stopped counting. And it was beautiful. I've reflected on so many things throughout these last weeks, and this project was one of the main reasons for it.

The three adjectives I'd use to describe this project would be fun, inspiring and thought provoking. And if I've worked for this NGO one more time, (hopefully as a mentor) I'd probably try to make the games less repetitive.

And it was absolutely worth it.

See you again.

The Case Of: Flashbacks

So... I forgot to write on 30th of April. I did not expected that to happen.

As a result, this entry will summarize my experience for today and last saturday. I specifically used the word "experience", and you are about to figure out why.

The games were not exactly non-repetitive, and I'll leave it at that. They were still fun though, thanks to the children.

And yes, the kids are awesome. There is one kid in particular that I admire, and his name is Taha. He is incredibly straight-forward, respectful and clever. Basically my classmates when I was 12, minus the adjective 'respectful'. Seriously, I hope he won't get wasted in this environment and he'll make use of his high intelligence. He reminds me of myself 8 years ago.

I think the games are both fun, and teaching for the kids, so far. Hopefully the final week will be fun, too, even though I observed that many kids almost left bored today, and if we didn't play dodgeball with them, they would probably leave bored.

See you on 14th. Or 15th. Since it will be the finals week, I can't guarantee I'll write that day.

It'll be the last entry for this blog, probably.

The Case Of: Getting To Know Children

I was there on time. Big surprise.

This saturday, I felt that our connection with the children got stronger in a very good way. These kids are full of life, and joy, and their imagination glow no matter how much they shy away.

First, we played a game called "Three Fingers". In which we had to memorize everyone's favorite color, animation series and meal. I was not exactly honest, except for the color part, since I don't really have a favorite color. It happens.

Then, we had the game of "Sculpture". As pairs, we were sculptures at first, (following the instructions of the kids) and then we made sculptures of the kids. Thankfully, there were more kids. So when it was a pairing of kids, we observed the dynamic between them. And no, I did not like standing on one foot while leaning towards front. My leg still hurts.

Then we played a game called "Parrot", and it didn't last long because kids didn't want to keep on going, and it was not surprising.

As the final game, we played a game of "Storyteller", and we sat in a line, and the one on the right started the story with a sentence, and the one on her/his left kept the story going with a following sentence...

We ended up creating and performing a story of a person stealing shoes that did not fit, and she got caught. Well, at least it had a happy ending.

See you again.

The Case Of: Traffic?

Today, I went to my first session of CEP, and I'll go to Nisantepe Primary/Secondary School for 4 more saturdays. So, without further ado, I'll write about what I did today...

...Which was mostly basically waiting in the traffic and yawning. I have a burning hate for traffic, like everyone else who doesn't have a fetish for fumes. And no, I got on the bus I was advised to get on.

I got off the bus and walked to the school without any expectations, and when I got there, I found my fellow participants and they've easily integrated me into a game they were playing with the children from 5th/6th grades.

The game was built on kids' imagination, which is basically infinite and full of surprises when set free. We made a circle, and one peer chose an object, and she wanted children to pretend as if it was something else. And those kids were very comfortable with setting their imagination free, and that could have caught me off guard...

...And yes, imagining an iron chair as a guitar was a bit ridiculous. But I'm glad I got there.

See you on 16th.

The Case Of: Introductory Education

And there I was. The education session for our CEP project was about to start in five minutes, and I was lying on a rock-hard table and watching my friends drain their whole energy on our architectural courses. I didn't know what time it was, but the classroom where the session was about to take place was 30, maybe 40 seconds away from our studio, so I was fine. Then the terrible smell of Pattex reached my nostrils and I started coughing like a 40-year cigarette smoker, until then [plot twist] I didn't even remember there was a session.

I got my notebook and pencil, and ran out of the class in approximately 7 seconds, and I was barely keeping myself from laughing, because the situation was messy.

I made it, of course. 3 minutes early, too. I could've been the new Usain Bolt if I lost 45 kilograms and had a heart transplant.

So, while I waited, I looked around to see if there were anyone I knew. Unsurprisingly, I knew no one.

And the session began.

We were not exactly being educated, but we were learning a few minor things. I've stated that I took part in similar projects before, so while the groups were being set up, I was the one on top. Not that I cared, but it felt good to remember I was incredibly interested in theatre once upon a time.

So, I can only assume that you think the title is only about the events that occured today. It is not. This is also your introductory education.

The CEP program I will participate in is basically about getting 5th-6th grade kids to love the art of theatre, and to prepare them for what was next to come, if their interest were to stay on.

We will be playing games with these kids, and we will educate them on creative drama. And it will be fun. It has to be fun with such imagination blooming and glowing around us.

See you on 9th.

The Case Of: Introduction

Today, I was introduced to the CEP program I wanted to participate in. The effort to connect to LMS and attempts to register to the program was a bit of a struggle back then, so I had to---

Ok. This is NOT the kind of blog you'll be reading in your relatively short time spent here. I will write information about the NGO I took part in, and I will write about the important events of this project but it won't have a straight storyline, but it won't be hard to read. When you read it all, there will be no open ends about the project, and you'll be able to put the pieces together. It's not exactly Memento, anyway.

So, 'The Introduction'.

I forgot to register. I FORGOT to register. Not to the program, to the orientation. You can say "Oh, I'll register sometime." once. Maybe twice, or as an example of rarity, thrice. But I said that 8 or 9 times in a span of 5 days, and the events leading to my registration was fueled by sheer luck and it was incredibly late.

Anyways, here I was. The orientation was about to begin. I had my notebook, my pencil and eraser in front of me, and I expected to know everything I needed to know about this big, heart-warming project. 

And it's over. The orientation is over. I know everything I need to know, I guess. 

And it took 5 minutes. Great and smooth start to an exciting program. Or not. 

Incredibly Short FAQ Before We Start

Frequently Used Terms

CEP: Community Engagement Project
NGO: Non-Governmental Organization


Artwork

"On Stage", by Gandalfleblond  ©2011-2016

The Inspiration for URL

From "As You Like It", Act II, Scene VII.

"All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, [...]"

Full reading is highly recommended.