Let Their Message Be Heard

In 2011, Group “Let’s…” developed a program titled Let Their Message Be Heard, with the goal of empowering young people, representatives of civil society, and members of marginalized groups to use performance skills or short video recordings (shot with mobile phones or other simple equipment). In 2014, the same methodology was used, though with different topics, in a program called How Much Do I Cost?. So far, six training sessions have been held, resulting in numerous short films and performance presentations.

When the first training on this topic was conceptualized, the idea was to enable young people—representatives of organizations working with marginalized groups (LGBT+, Roma, war veterans…)—to advocate and raise awareness about the issues faced by the groups they work with, using techniques that require no financial resources. Later, the focus shifted to young people from rural areas, and then to representatives of civil society organizations and informal groups, aiming to highlight broader societal problems, as well as negative phenomena within the civil sector itself. They reflected on and created short films and performances on topics such as civil courage, (self-)censorship, ethics, power dynamics between institutions and individuals, corruption, extremism, fascism, activism, personal values…

The training consisted of two segments (performance and short film creation), and participants could choose one of the techniques already when filling out the application form.

The first part of the training in using performance/short films gave participants the opportunity to reflect on the social phenomena they wanted to portray through these media. After this initial phase, participants were divided into two groups—one working on building performances, and the other learning filming, editing, and video montage techniques.

In the next stage, participants received support in shaping their “stories.” With their personal experience of limited or denied rights, they were able to easily craft messages they wanted to convey to the public. Drawing on the experience from the first part of the training, they worked with trainers to translate their messages into a performance art format or a short film.

In the final stage, participants prepared for their public presentations—exploring their personal limits for public exposure and rehearsing their performance material, while also engaging with the work of other participants.

After the How Much Do I Cost? training, the short films and performances were presented in several cities, followed by public discussions with audiences on the topics shown on stage.

All films and performances can be viewed on the Group “Let’s…” YouTube page: youtube.com/user/grupahajdeda