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From January 29th to February 2nd, the volunteers of the 2017-18 year of the Voluntary Social Year (FSJ) program at the Turkish Federation of Berlin-Brandenburg (TBB) explored power imbalances and privilege. Over the course of a week, five different workshops were offered, allowing the volunteers to delve into these topics. Two theater groups, one focused on physical theater and the other on so-called "Theatre of the Oppressed," approached the subject through performance, portraying conflicts that had been discussed and developed by the participants themselves in a staged performance. Another workshop explored the theme through illustration, expressing and reflecting on personal, sometimes very private, stories in the form of comics. The photography workshop focused on its participants through staged scenes and short films on the topic, while the rap group expressed their ideas in an original song and accompanying music video.
It quickly became apparent during the workshop how multifaceted the topic of this seminar is and how many areas of everyday life privilege and power imbalances, often subconsciously, extend into. While the concepts were initially considered very abstractly, the participants quickly filled the topic with their own stories and reflected experiences. The group benefited greatly from being able to utilize such a broad range of methods to artistically tell and express their stories. This was particularly evident in the final presentation on Friday, where all participants demonstrated how intensively they had worked on their projects throughout the week.
In June 2018, the last of three seminars with this year's TBB volunteers will take place, bringing together the vast majority of the group. The focus will be on German and Turkish culture, giving the volunteers the opportunity to reflect on their year of voluntary social service together.