CareACT

Participatory theatre interventions for justice-oriented and democracy-focused learning processes in caring communities

What is the project about?

CareACT is launching – with the help of participatory theatre interventions and formats from InterACT (www.interact-online.org) – social and political spaces of care (Caring Spaces). Through a new form of networking between civil society, care practitioners and decision-makers, the project encourages dialogue on the conditions for good coexistence, active participation by all and caring for one another.
The two communities in Graz and Vienna, the local project teams, artists and researchers form a learning community. Within the international Caring Communities (CC) D-A-CH network, experiences and insights are shared, and people and organisations are encouraged to adopt creative, democratising CC approaches.

What is the goal of the project?

As a transdisciplinary research process with a focus on democratic policy, CareACT aims to open up opportunities for fairer participation by female citizens within communities and in the organisation of care. In doing so, CareACT seeks to contribute to caring communities processes that are more sensitive to care policy, and thereby also to the promotion of health equity.

Who participates in the project?

Residents who reflect the overall social diversity of Graz-Jakomini and Vienna-Josefstadt (including people in precarious living situations, people with dementia, and family carers and relatives), local political decision-makers, representatives of care organisations, cultural institutions, educational institutions, researchers and many more.

How are participants involved in the project?

The InterACT theatre interventions and formats, as practices in the fields of art, research and politics, form a central element in both Caring Communities processes, providing structure in terms of both content and timing (3–4 theatre intervention processes per region are planned over the course of the project). The appropriate formats (e.g. playback theatre, theatre laboratory, legislative theatre) emerge from joint planning with the local Caring Communities teams and from the thematic surveys and research, which form part of the InterACT working process itself and are also carried out in coordination with researchers from the Universities of Graz and Vienna. These theatre interventions and formats are embedded in a jointly designed social process and always include, as part of the ‘follow-up’, spaces and venues for moderated discussion and reflection on realistic implementation steps.

How are participants recruited for the project?

The involvement of residents and representatives of institutions is based on an existing local support network in Vienna’s Josefstadt district and in Graz-Jakomini, which brings together both members of the public and key local institutional stakeholders.

Project lead

Klaus Wegleitner

xynhf.jrtyrvgare@hav-tenm.ng

Gert Dressel

treg.qerffry@havivr.np.ng

Project website

https://www.sorgenetz.at/aktuell/careact/

Cooperation partners

InterACT. Workshop for Theatre and Socioculture
SMZ Gemeinschaft Jakomini in Graz-Liebenau
Nachhaltiger ACHTSAMER 8.
Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Ageing and Care (CIRAC)
Institute of Education at the University of Graz
Institute of Nursing Science at the University of Vienna