PSBK collaborated with The Paper Birds as international partner in hosting global citizen project “The School of Hope” (TSoH) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The unique engaging creative model, created by The Paper Birds, enables young people to explore the theme of empathy both from emotive and academic perspectives, offering ways to interrogate what makes us care about other people, especially people who may be different.
The TSoH model offered an immersive journey for young creatives to explore the theme of empathy, the self, the other, the bigger picture, and to envision a future. Through a series of ‘5 lessons’, the workshop model successfully combined cognitive, intuitive, and creative processes through an array of simple and yet provocative exercises that were engaging, encouraged collaboration, and endorsed expression through art-making.
We had the chance to interview Jeannie Park, Istifadah Nur Rahma, and Septi Hariana of PSBK to listen to their thoughts, insights, and new learnings during the planning, preparation, as well as the delivery of the project.
Working with the Paper Birds
Jeannie Park: For The Paper Birds, it was their first time working with an organisation particularly in Indonesia.
It was really nice to hear their input in particular that they were amazed in how we actually just took the project and really integrated our own mission and our objectives – involving various communities, like the LGBT, the deaf community, and the santri (islamic boarding school students) in one room, and it’s something that other partners didn’t really do. They were just like, “you just went out there and… did it!”
They were quite impressed by how in some sense, we set the bar, in terms of not only just wanting to reach our communities and to increase inclusion, but the artwork was really well done, creative, and it was something that they love to share with other global partners.
They liked how we invested in artists because we also wanted to expand the opportunity for even artists that we don’t even know.
Encouraging local artists to try taking on role as facilitators
Istifadah Nur Rahma: The CTC gave us the opportunity to be more open in taking on roles such as facilitating artists that are accessible or attainable by our artist friends, especially those working on performance art.
Thus far, very few people have shown interest in occupying these roles. People need to realise that facilitating artists is the same as having them on stage or in a gallery.
Yesterday was a brilliant opportunity to extend this perspective to artists that took part in facilitating the CTC workshop with the help of The Paper Birds, a group that frequently facilitates new communities.
Jeannie Park: Yeah that was actually a big one – that was part of our objectives at the beginning of the project where it was not only just for the young participants, but also to what extent can we influence other artists. In this case, it was great that -- the facilitators recognized that it’s not just a job, but to what extent can you be present in a space with other communities, create that kind of influence and impact…
They have learned so much from the participants and that’s what it’s about. It’s the exchanges, it’s to be on the same level, and to learn from each other.
But I feel that it’s also a long journey to try and convince other artists to allow themselves to be out there. You have to have that facilitating spirit, which apparently in the UK, as the Paper Birds kept saying, everybody there now facilitates. I thought it’s because it’s so ingrained. I think it was the same way in Australia. It’s really ingrained in the arts sector where everybody feels obligated not only artistically on top of the stage, but also the arts educational (sector), kind of, in so many levels, both in outreach or creative learning and then also integrating the arts in other ways – whether it’s pedagogy or arts integrated curriculum or working in schools…
