10 young people, 1 leader, 10 days, 2 performances, 6 debates, 10 workshops, 3 funders, 9 months’ planning – in July 2016, Yasmin took Mandala’s new play Night Light , with a group of young actors, to Rencontre International Youth Theatre Festival in Grenoble.
This is what one participant, aged 20, said afterwards: ““We received some wonderful feedback from several audience members, with many saying they were moved to tears by our show. Many said they had truly connected emotionally to the characters and how the play touches on a sense of belonging in all of us.”
The theme of the project was ‘Human rights in relation to tolerance and understanding for other cultures and people.’ Its aim was to connect individuals and organisations from different culture through the arts. After eight days of international workshops, debates, performances and socials, everyone who took part came away with a real sense of unity, support and understanding. Said one Mandala participant, age 18: “The debates made me see that everyone can take something different from the same experience. It’s all relative to who you are and how you see the world.”
Another said: “The reaction we received after our play Night Light made us feel like we had created something with real impact.”