SCHOOL OF DISOBEDIENCE
context
It's 2023; instead of attaining equality, women represent the majority of people living in poverty. They are less likely to have access to healthcare and education, most affected by climate change and food insecurity, and most likely to experience gender-based violence.
For women and girls around the world - particularly those from underrepresented communities and those living in countries affected by conflict - the interconnected forces of economic injustice and environmental degradation mean job insecurity, an increase in unpaid care work, growing poverty, worsening health, lack of access to livelihoods and education, and heightened risk of violence.
Women are disproportionately affected by destructive economic and environmental practices and policies, yet government responses to socioeconomic crises do not take gender into consideration - leaving women and girls without adequate resources.
These governmental failures are unsurprising given that women are vastly underrepresented in decision-making processes that directly impact their lives: worldwide, just 24% of all national parliamentarians are women.
For women and girls around the world - particularly those from underrepresented communities and those living in countries affected by conflict - the interconnected forces of economic injustice and environmental degradation mean job insecurity, an increase in unpaid care work, growing poverty, worsening health, lack of access to livelihoods and education, and heightened risk of violence.
Women are disproportionately affected by destructive economic and environmental practices and policies, yet government responses to socioeconomic crises do not take gender into consideration - leaving women and girls without adequate resources.
These governmental failures are unsurprising given that women are vastly underrepresented in decision-making processes that directly impact their lives: worldwide, just 24% of all national parliamentarians are women.
history
The “School of Disobedience” is a “travelling school”, pop-up and nomadic, constantly in movement, because this is the only way that allows us to think local and act local, share and care. In response to the invitation of artistic and cultural venues (museum, theatre, art gallery, residency, artist run space...), we “dislocate” the school and transform their “hard” structure into a “soft” community space of radical care and empowerment.
Our first class was held in July 2014 in Yerevan, Armenia.
In the last 2 years, we opened the doors of the “School of Disobedience” inside of the Abbaye de Maubuisson Centre d'Art Contemporain (France), Art Cologne (Germany), Dance City Theatre Newcastle (UK), Le BAMP (Belgium), Autumn Festival (Hungary), ISBN Gallery (Hungary), A4 Theatre (Slovakia), Klara i Rosa (Serbia), Institut Français (Sénégal) to name a few, for a period between one day to two months.
Our first class was held in July 2014 in Yerevan, Armenia.
In the last 2 years, we opened the doors of the “School of Disobedience” inside of the Abbaye de Maubuisson Centre d'Art Contemporain (France), Art Cologne (Germany), Dance City Theatre Newcastle (UK), Le BAMP (Belgium), Autumn Festival (Hungary), ISBN Gallery (Hungary), A4 Theatre (Slovakia), Klara i Rosa (Serbia), Institut Français (Sénégal) to name a few, for a period between one day to two months.
results
With a both theory and practice oriented methodology, the "School of Disobedience" increases participating women's self-confidence, fosters their creativity and critical thinking, gives them support, knowledge and tools to resist, defy, protest and take action. The program develops participant's originality and out-of-the-box thinking by offering them a non-hierarchical and judgment-free space where they can express themselves freely: question social norms and expectations, challenge conventions and traditional canons, confront stereotypes, rules and systems in which they are socialized and familiarized with. Participants are also encouraged to liberate themselves from their fears, transgress their boundaries, go beyond their limits and step out of their comfort zone.
organization
On the intersection of creation, research, education and activism, "School of Disobedience" was dreamed up and created by Anna Ádám.
It is legally represented and administrated by the performance company Gray Box.
It is legally represented and administrated by the performance company Gray Box.
staff
"School of Disobedience" classes are led by "unlearning facilitators", having different educational and socio-cultural backgrounds. Artists, musicians, choreographers, dancers, designers, dramatists, researchers, theoreticians, cultural workers from different fields (sociology, ecology, anthropology, psychology, literature, arts...) are invited to offer to the participants an immersive and trans-disciplinary experience, open them to new ideas, point of views, forms, fields, aesthetics, and inspirations, wake up their curiosity, encourage them to identify and follow their dreams. Classes generate countless valuable human connections, physical and emotional interactions, intellectual and cultural exchanges, build friendships for further collaborations. An online "Alumni platform" allows participants to keep in touch, reconnect with each other, build a small sustainable community and grow an empathetic network of disobeying girls.