Volunteer Meeting Focuses on Social Intervention to Combat Inequality
A new edition of Nostrum, the training and cohesion event for volunteers, scholarship holders and staff of the Fundació Autònoma Solidària (FAS), took place on Saturday 16th March. Around seventy people attended this year.
Nostrum serves as a gathering space for everyone involved in the FAS volunteer programmes, offering an opportunity for experience exchange and entertainment.
The day started with a welcome, followed by ice-breaking activities to get to know each other.
The volunteers then split into three groups to attend three different workshops. The first workshop, 'Cinema and the Construction of the Other', led by film director and screenwriter Hajar Boujtat, looked at basic concepts of representation in cinema, with a focus on underrepresented groups and the construction of a paternalistic image of the Global South in which the role of the white saviour is essential.
The second workshop, 'Theatre as a Tool for Social Intervention to Combat Islamophobia', used the Theatre of the Oppressed technique to portray scenarios of oppression and discrimination based on the intersection of religious belief, race, gender, and aesthetic standards. This session was led by actress and social worker Mariam Bahous.
The third workshop, led by actress Elisabet Marí, focused on managing consent, boundaries, and emotions in relationships, particularly in the context of volunteer programmes, using theatre methods.
Following the workshops, participants took a traditional group photo and enjoyed a joint lunch, which provided an informal setting for interaction. The day ended with a closing activity, where volunteers evaluated the event and shared their learning.
A video summary of the event is available.