Using art and culture to overcome the challenges of migrant integration
How do you explain the powerlessness of being without words? That was the question explored in a short film made as part of the More than Words project.
The three-year collaboration, supported by a €352,000 Erasmus+ grant and led by London-based multimedia theatre group, Border Crossings, aims to improve the communication and training skills of educators, social workers and others to support migrants and other minorities facing problems of integration.
Tackling migrant exclusion
In the wake of the 2015-2016 migrant crisis, Border Crossings became heavily involved in European-level policy discussions on how culture could play a part in responding to the influx of new citizens.
“We discussed methods to allow people speedier access to social and cultural activities. But everything was expressed through language,” said artistic director Michael Walling. “That meant that the people who were not in the room were the people whose need was greatest.”
Border Crossings responded by bringing together a consortium of organisations from across Europe, including people who were working on the ground with minority communities who were able to test out the methodologies.
A film with no words
The More Than Words film has become the core of the project. It arose from within the workshops run by the various partners – in particular the clowning workshop run by the Italian clown Raffaele Messina, who subsequently took the lead role.
The idea was to make a work of art accessible to people who do not necessarily speak any of the languages used in the film.
“When we first started working on the project, I was dubious about the presence of clowning in the partnership. I felt that it was a bit silly, and this is a serious topic,” said Michael. “I was worried that the new citizens might be insulted by being compared to something comic, but I could not have been more wrong.
“There is a radical action in being vulnerable, as it takes away the hierarchy, including language. Just by opening yourself up in public, something starts to happen. It is not necessarily what you want to teach newly arrived citizens. But it makes everything else a lot easier if you have it in yourself.”
Training and support across Europe
While the More than Words film has become the centrepiece of the project, there have been several other outputs, including new training methodologies for working with recently arrived migrants which are to be published in an upcoming e-book.
“People are doing different things in their workplaces because of the techniques they have picked up from one another,” said Michael.
“For instance, one partner works with migrant populations in Poland. They have taken a writing exercise which gives a stimulus that allows someone to write a poem. It is simple, but they jumped on it. It gives the women who come to their group a way to begin to express themselves.
“People are also using the film as a training tool. I did not expect that to happen, but it is a great starting point for discussion.”
Benefits for UK community groups
Border Crossings is applying the methods learnt from More than Words by setting up a new community project to help unaccompanied young refugees in London.
Once the group has built a performance, they expect to invite policymakers, police, and other people to engage in a dialogue based on the experiences the group have shared.
“Everyone was exposed to ways of working that we had not experienced before. We benefited enormously. I do not think we could have done that as effectively if we did not have the points of comparison. I hope this will filter off into projects around the country,” said Michael.
Discover more stories about how Erasmus+ has helped in adult education.
