ANNOUNCING PTW 2025!

Meandering in the Mess

Creating and Organizing Power

For its first two decades Performing the World– a project of the East Side Institute— was an in-person conference held in New York. During the pandemic, the conference went online, which opened it up to people who didn’t have the money to fly to New York or who lived in countries that the U.S. denied visas to. Zoom does away with airplane tickets and national borders. Performing the World (PTW) has been enriched as more grassroots organizers and people from a wider range of cultures and nations have been able to participate.

As we look forward to PTW 2025, we, all of us—human beings and the planet we are a part of—are meandering in a mess. The mess is not new, but it is spreading and deepening. What can we do about it?

We can, and are, responding by creating and organizing power—and like the mess, the Performing the World community is also spreading and deepening.

What does creating and organizing power look like? Sound like? How is it created? How does it move? How does it dance? How does it sing? What ideas, emotions, relationships does it generate? How is the mess impacting the nature and tone of our creativity and how is our creativity and power impacting on the mess?

These are some of the questions we want to explore at PTW 2025. We’re not interested in exploring them abstractly, we want to learn from each other, from the far-flung communities of activists, artists, educators, therapists and play revolutionaries. What are we doing, what we are creating and how are we organizing power?

The beauty of meandering is that we don’t know where we’re going. We don’t even know what we’re doing. It’s a fumbling, bumbling, risk-taking activity. Meandering is how we fall on our faces, how we get dirty and frustrated. It’s also how we discover and create qualitatively new processes and activities.

Let’s do some meandering together at PTW 2025.

Since 2001, Performing the World (PTW) has been a global gathering for all who are using play, performance and the arts to engage and transform the world.

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Performing The World 2025 Schedule

NOTE: All Times Shown Below Are Eastern US Time Zone - Click Time For Any Session To Find The Time Of That Session In Your Part Of The World

Thur Nov 13

10:00 am
Opening Session

10:30 am
Voices for Change: Creating a Global Choir for Social Impact
Michael Sample

Building on a pilot project during the pandemic—a virtual reality choir connecting musicians from Nepal, Mexico, Ghana, and the U.S.—Voices for Change has grown into a global choir producing an upcoming international visual album featuring young musicians and professionals from Africa, Asia, and the Americas.

An initiative of the Playing for Change Foundation, a nonprofit organization that advances social change through a global network of music and arts education programs – currently 37 programs across 26 different countries and territories – the international choir demonstrates how collaborative performance can transcend distance and culture to inspire communities worldwide.

Michael Sample, the Producing Artistic Director of Voices for Change will share the process of creating a cross-cultural ensemble, producing a visual album for social impact, and the stories of hope he's experienced in this exploration of how music can empower and connect communities globally.

1:00 pm
Filling the Gap: Equipping In-School and After-School Arts Programs in South Africa
Host: Alison Polley-Green; Panelists: Caryn Green, Thembile Tshuma, Tsholofelo Shounyane, Sibahle Mtimkulu

Although in 1997 South African law made Arts and Culture a compulsory subject in all schools, the reality is very different. This panel, hosted by Alison Polley-Green, arts researcher, educator and manager, will feature leaders of Arts programs that work to bridge that gap, bringing theatre, dance, music, visual arts and performance to children and teenagers in South Africa’s communities most affected by structural inequality and poverty. They will share the work they do, the youth they reach and the impact that performance and the arts have on the young peoples’ lives and communities. The panelists are: Caryn Green of the Sibikwa Arts Centre; Thembile Tshuma and Tsholofelo Shounyane of Assitej South Africa; and Sibahle Mtimkulu of the Windybrow Arts Centre.

3:00 pm
Breakdance Project Uganda: Dancing Toward Human Development
Abraham “Abramz” Tekya

Breakdance Project Uganda (BPU) was founded in 2006 by Abraham “Abramz” Tekya to help young people in poor communities in Kampala and across Uganda develop pride in themselves as artists with “b-boy” and “b-girl” identities while building leadership skills, providing access to education and promoting positive social change. From the initial three students who turned up at the first class, the Project has grown through word of mouth, regular showcase performances, and exposure on the World Wide Web to become a thriving organization with over 1,000 members nationally and many more supporters around the world. The Project is sustained and has grown by members freely passing on their skills to new members, following the BPU belief that everyone is a student and everyone is a teacher with something positive to give.

In this interactive workshop, founder Abramz will share his story and the history of Breakdance Project Uganda; demonstrate its teaching and organizing methods; show short clips from the film Bouncing Cats, which documents his work and the workshops at BPU led by the legendry Crazy Legs of the Rock Steady Crew; and involve participants in sharing their experiences as performers, activists, educators and builders.

6:30 pm
Global Play Brigade Presents: Playfest for Changemakers
Rita Ezenwa-Okoro, Jorge Burciaga, Cathy Salit, Kahlil Bagatsing, Hikaru Hie, Yvette Alcott, Toto Carandang, Viviane Carrijo, Jordan Hirsch, Carlos Gaviria

The Global Play Brigade (GPB) was founded during the pandemic in 2020 to connect people, isolated and scared, through play. It has grown into an international online community of volunteer play and performance activists—improvisors, clowns, dancers, puppeteers—who believe that integrating play into everyday life is vital for creating hope, generating possibility, and sparking emotional well-being and development. The GPB approaches play as a powerful catalyst for change—particularly when facing difficult emotions and conversations, stuck or stagnant institutions, and polarized political environments. 18,000people from over 100 countries have participated in their free workshops, with its strongest presence being in Argentina, Brazil, the United States, Nigeria, India, Kenya and Japan.

This participatory workshop—especially designed for activists, organizers and other changemakers—will be led by experienced play facilitators from around the world and will explore the transformative power of play through improvisation, storytelling, movement and role-playing. It is designed not just to utilize play methodology for skills like communication, collaboration, innovation and leadership, but also to consider weaving play into the fabric of social activism— a field that also needs innovation and fresh thinking, now more than ever.

Fri Nov 14

9:30 am
EcoManka: From Garbage to Possibility: PlayDesign in the Moravia neighbourhood, Medellin, Colombia
Teddy Florea, Eline Charles, Fatima Zahra Elboussaidi, Jesica Gómez Murillo, Sarid Olarte, Ranko Trifković

EcoManka is a globally oriented initiative working with youth that helps communities design sustainable grassroots programs, educational frameworks, and inter-community networks to meet the challenges of climate change and social fragmentation. Its name is derived from eco- (ecology) and manka in Quechua, meaning “container of abundance,” while also resonating with shamanka, the sacred feminine spirit of leading and healing. EcoManka, then, is a vessel for holding play, compassion, and co-creation in service of ecological and social transformation.

“From Garbage to Possibility: a PlayDesign Practical Workshop" will feature one of EcoManka’s early pilot programs developed in the neighborhood of Moravia, Medellín. Moravia, once Medellín’s open-air garbage dump and home to tens of thousands of displaced families, is today a complex community facing ongoing ecological and social challenges. In partnership with Corporacion Jarum (a local NGO running educational programs within the community) EcoManka ran a 15-week pilot program where 30 teenagers explored their territory through PlayDesign, a participatory methodology that combines play, storytelling, social-emotional learning, ecological awareness, and social entrepreneurship.

This participatory workshop will bring participants inside that process: exploring how young people identified challenges, prototyped solutions (such as urban gardens and storytelling projects), and developed as eco-leaders. The session will be led by EcoManka founder Teddy Florea and other EcoManka personnel, Jesica Gomez from Fundación Jarum, and a youth voice from the pilot, with breakout rooms designed for participants to experience PlayDesign methods and apply them to their own contexts.

12:00 pm
Combatants for Peace: Breaking the Cycle of Violence
Chen Alon, Sulaiman Khatib

Founded in 2006, Combatants for Peace brings former members of the Israeli Defense Forces and fighters from the Palestinian resistance together to share their experiences, their grief and their determination to build a culture of peace amid the ongoing war that has wracked their peoples for 75 years. It is the only peace group in the world that was founded and is run by ex-combatants on both sides of an active conflict.

“Breaking the Cycle of Violence” will focus on the performance work of Combatants for Peace: how they use theatre as a tool for dialogue, conflict transformation, non-violent resistance to the occupation and the ongoing mass killing in Gaza—how they are nurturing collective imagination in the context of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian reality. They will share experiences from performances, workshops, and community interventions, highlighting both the artistic and activist dimensions of their work.

The session will be led by Combatants for Peace co-founders Chen Alon, Head of the Community Theatre & Artivism Program at Tel Aviv University, and Sulaiman Khatib, who, arrested at the age of 14, spent ten years in Israeli prisons. In 2017, Alon and Khati were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

3:00 pm
Arts into Acts Performance: Migrant and Refugee Arts Crossing Borders and Building Bridges Across Europe
Host: Elena Boukouvala; Artists: Amirali, Antzela Tzoure, Elena Yaqubee, Joel Fabio Tunno, Lamprini Blatsiou, Rouddy Kimpioka

As borders harden and policies divide, how do we connect with the world and each other? Arts into Acts is a group of artists from migrant and refugee backgrounds who met and began working together in refugee camps and communities in Greece in 2021. Led by Elena Boukouvala, drama therapist, participatory researcher, performance activist and founder of the Play Perform Learn Grow conference, this diverse artistic community—which includes artists originally from Afghanistan, Congo, Albania, Italy and Greece—has stayed connected as its members have spread out across Europe. The art they are creating is inextricably interwoven with their journeys across geographic, political and cultural borders. Among the projects that will be showcased are: “From War to Exile’s Road,” “34 Afghan Windows,” “RAD Music International,” and “Nostovia.” Attendees of the workshop will be encouraged to share their journeys and experiences of traversing borders and creating belongings across art and political action. Together we will ask the question: What happens after the performance ends? Can we create a world where the performance never ends?

5:30 pm
Performing in the "Age of Stuck!": A Developmentalist’s Approach to Building with Quicksand & Quandaries
Lois Holzman

What the heck is a developmentalist?

A person who examines—and invites others to examine—the taken-for-granted ways of the world. A person who helps us see not just products and outcomes but shines light on process and how we, as individuals, communities and as a species do what we do. A person who invites others to play with what irks us, confuses us, bewilders us, makes us feel ground down, lost, stuck, sad, hurt, and worse. A person with whom you can always create new possibilities.

In this interactive session Lois Holzman, co-founder and director of the East Side Institute, and founder and co-convener of Performing the World, will introduce you to the conceptual framework and share four features of a developmentalist’s practice. You will be invited to try these on and have ample time to practice performing as developmentalists alongside Lois.

Sat Nov 15

9:30 am
From Stage to Street (and back again): Generating Power Through Performance
Anuradha Marwah, Arham Sayeed Quadri, Meinka Sharma, Lourdes M Supriya, Vritika Thareja

Pandies Theatre—one of India’s most impactful politically-engaged theatre companies—has a history stretching back four decades. Starting as a university drama club under the leadership of the late Sanjay Kumar, they moved away from the limitations of a college-controlled society to an independently registered theatre producing progressive plays from around the world. Soon the pandies stepped off the stage into the streets, bringing the empowerment of play and performance into the lives of poor, oppressed and marginalized people. The “workshop theatre” they developed created the tools that allowed them to create skits and plays with children in the slums, homeless youth who live on railway platforms, women who have been victims of gender-based violence, and communities divided by generations of violent conflict. All along, they continued to produce longer, “proscenium” productions, most recently, Nang Dhadang/Bare and Exposed, a searing critique of sectarian sentiments that created the tragedy of the Indian Partition and the horrors that followed.

Leaders involved in various aspects of this rich and ongoing history will share the mosaic that is the pandies theatre.

12:00 pm
Listening from the Heart: American Friends of the Parents’ Circle
Lior Ben-Zvi

This workshop is deeply rooted in the painful and loving work of the Parents Circle-Family Forum, which brings together bereaved Palestinian and Israeli family members to share their grief and humanity amid ongoing, brutal war. American Friends of the Parents Circle has developed “Listening from the Heart” as a means of empowering others around the world to engage in meaningful dialogue about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—and other seemingly intractable conflicts. “Listening from the Heart” will equip participants with the tools to foster empathy, bridge divides, build respectful communication skills, and create inclusive spaces for difficult conversations. Come prepared to listen with an open heart and engage in difficult but meaningful conversations. www.parentscirclefriends.org/listening

3:00 pm
Bakondo Peace Camp: Healing the Wounds of Civil War through Play and Performance
Daniel Buriticá

After fifty years of bloody civil war in Colombia between communist guerrillas on the one hand and government soldiers and right-wing militias on the other, a peace treaty was finally negotiated in 2016. However, decades of hate, fear and trauma don’t just disappear when the guns stop firing. In the years since, many individuals and groups have been working on the healing process, among them is the Bakondo Peace Camp. Founded by Daniel Buriticá, the camp brings young people from poor urban neighborhoods together with former guerrillas and militia fighters to play games, learn magic, create and perform skits and talk about how to resolve conflicts without violence. Since it was founded in 2006 the Bakondo Peace Camp has hosted 1,500 young people. Buriticá will share how and why it was created, what goes on at camp, how it is impacting on those who have participated and their communities and why it is essential in a moment where the world is getting more polarized.

6:00 pm
Zip Talks: Short Session Presented with Zeal, Intimacy, and Passion
Host: Viviane Carrijo; Video presenters: Mieke Lippstreu, Joleen Sheldon and Sinisa Rudan, Mitchel Abrams, Eva Brenner, Danna Abraham, Samuel James, Lorena Rodriguez, Mustafa Shet, Sadaf Vidha and Aryan Somiaya

Today as crisis follows crisis, it is easy to forget (or never know) that around the world people are making things—beautiful, unexpected, deeply human things. They are creating—with what’s available, with who shows up, and with the mess we’re all living in. To make more of these creative, playful and powerful activities known, this year, for the first time, Performing the World is presenting Zip Talks, short six-minute introductions to some of the creative sparks now dancing in the ruins. We can never have too much good news.

The Zip Talks that will be presented are:
"Sparking the Heart of Humanity" — Mitchell Abrams
"Holding the Ambivalence and Polarities of a Country in Distress and Denial" — Sadaf Vidha & Aryan Somaiya
"All Africa Deaf Arts Festival 2025" — Samuel James
“Therapy Tales: Re-framing the Story" — Danna Abraham
"Making Gender Trouble: Drag as Delicious Disruption" — Mieke Lippstreu
"Cultures for Peace: Art, Fermentation & Resistance" — Lorena Rodriguez
"Cultural Resistance" — Mustafa Sheta
"UBU white & black – A Theater Against War!" — Eva Brenner
“Performing Emotional Growth" — Joleen Sheldon & Sinisa Rudan
www.emotionaltheater.com:

Sun Nov 16

9:00 am
From the Margins to Center Stage: Bringing Play and Performance to Busia County (Kenya) Schools
Host: Wycliffe Barasa; Headteachers: Pascalia Nanga, Otieno Wandera Fred, Mildred Odhiambo, Moris Oduor, Grace Okochi Truphena; Teachers Heading Performance: Jacklyne Juma, Otieno Wandera Fred, Abetta Milka, Emmanuel Mulama, Maryam Juma

Wyclffe Barasa, the CEO and Co-founder of Kosi Africa—a non-profit organization focused on education, leadership development, Pan-Africanism and community volunteerism—will share his recent work introducing play and performance into the public schools of Kenya. Over the last year, Barasa has reached out to some 60 elementary and high schools about the developmental value of play and performance in education—and many of them have taken his message to heart. Barasa will be joined by headmasters and teachers from five schools in Busia County, Kenya who will present samples of their performance work—dance, drama and storytelling—and share the impact that playing and performing have had on their educations and their lives.

11:00 am
From Silence to Signature: Crafting Power Through Performance
Gift Chikere, Chekwube Isaac Eze

ARTvocacy was born in 2020 during massive protests by young people across Nigeria. They were protesting ongoing extrajudicial killings by the police. Many demonstrators were killed and injured. Seeking a positive and sustainable way for young people to express their views without being killed, Street Project Foundation, gave birth to ARTvocacy. It has grown into a political/cultural movement of young people using the arts—and performance in particular—to express their grievances against a system characterized by corruption, violence and indifference toward its people. To date, ARTvocay has produced five original stage plays, four short films, a twenty-episode podcast series, two photo story books and numerous skits on social media.

In this session Gift Chikere (The Gift), Mobilization Lead of the ARTvocay Movement in Lagos and a member of the United Nations Youth Advisory Board, will lead an exploration of how ARTvocacy empowers young people at the grassroots to reclaim their voice through artistic expression. From spoken word to street theatre, they’ve been transforming silence into presence, and performance into power. Learn how they are not only navigating the mess of the world — but rewriting it.

3:00 pm
Performing In and With the Mess: Here, There, and Everywhere
Lea Csikós, Jessie Fields, Thecla Farrell, Elyse Mendel, Melissa Meyer, Rachel Mickenberg, Hugh Polk

The statement for this year’s Performing the World invites us to meander together. Why meander? Because, the invitation continues: “The beauty of meandering is that we don’t know where we’re going. We don’t even know what we’re doing. It’s a fumbling, bumbling, risk-taking activity. Meandering is how we fall on our faces, how we get dirty and frustrated. It’s also how we discover and create qualitatively new processes and activities.”

This session focuses on the collective creation of new emotional activity, on how groupings of people, meandering and bumbling, create/perform their “mental health.” This is the hallmark of Social Therapeutics which, along with Performance Activism, is the East Side Institute’s approach to transforming the world and its societies and cultures. You are invited to take a close look at two recent social therapeutic initiatives— Creating Our Mental Health and Developing Across Borders. Across ages, languages, and life experiences—from poverty and privilege, sickness and health, hope and despair, new emotions emerge through the art of conversation and the art of art.

Creating Our Mental Health uses poetry, improv, and movement to create social therapeutic groups in homeless shelters, food pantries, churches and community centers in poor working-class neighborhoods, as well as ongoing virtual groups on Zoom and WhatsApp. Developing Across Borders consists of virtual groups that bring people from a wide variety of nations, class, and cultural backgrounds together for weekly social therapeutic groups in which their diversity plays a key role in creating new emotional activity as they perform their therapy.

Join facilitators and participants from Creating Our Mental Health and Developing Across Borders in conversation about the what and the how of this beautifully awkward empowering activity.

4:30 pm
Closing Session

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Presenter Biographies

Danna Abraham (Sat Nov 15, 6:00 pm) Brasileira of origin. Professionally working in academia alongside students who want to become therapists. She teaches narrative and systemic approaches to therapy, highlighting women's voices in mental health history while inviting learners to improvise with theory, poetry, and play. Director of the Research Initiative for Storytelling Engagement (RISE) Lab, she focuses on moral laboratories and shared creativity, cultivating communities where pain is transformative and generative of collective action.

Dr. Mitchell Abrams (Sat Nov 15, 6:00 pm) is a Canadian radiologist, TEDx and keynote speaker, educator and founder of NexGenHealth Ltd. Abrams completed his medical degree and radiology specialty from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, holds a subspecialty in cross-sectional imaging from the University of Toronto and is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Dr. Abrams is an assistant clinical professor at Michael G DeGroote School of Medical Sciences and was department chair of diagnostic imaging at Cambridge Memorial Hospital. Dr. Abrams is also a certified educator of applied compassion, through the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford Medical School. In his very first year of medical practice, Dr. Abrams underwent unexpected open heart surgery. This experience and subsequent healing journey catapulted him on a mission to bring more heart to healthcare and to our communities. Dr. Abrams’ approach to wellbeing incorporates leading edge scientific research and personal experience as he brings forth a more integrative approach to whole person health. NexGenHealth solutions was born as a social enterprise to bring this work to the world. His non profit initiative called RADD ART integrates science, art and music to create a sustainable funding and awareness building mechanism to support youth, communities in need and to help fund mental health and heart coherence research.

Yvette Alcott, Ph.D. (Thur Nov 13, 6:30 pm) is a Director at Psychologies for Change, a Founding Partner at Corporate Actors Australia, and an actor, facilitator, and coach at Performance of a Lifetime. She started her professional life as an actor in theatre, television and film and soon took her skills into the corporate sector. Yvette found the corporate work enormously satisfying with its solid purpose and one on one intensity. This inspired her to complete a PhD with the focus on Social Psychology. Yvette has expanded her work interests to combine the rigours of scientific research and the theories of Social Psychology with the notion of play, improvisational theatre techniques and professional acting skills to create workplace training programs and individual coaching sessions to enhance meaningful human connection; to underline the importance of authentic communication to support mental health and wellbeing particularly at work; to improve difficult conversation outcomes; and to tap into the important human propensity for creativity.

Dr. Chen Alon (Fri Nov 14, 12:00 pm) is a theatre activist, director and scholar. Chen is the head of the Community Theatre and Artivism (Art & Activism) Program in the Theatre Arts Department at Tel-Aviv University. Chen is a co-founder of Combatants for Peace, a movement of Palestinian and Israeli combatants who have abandoned the way of violence and struggle together non-violently against the occupation. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize with Suleiman Khatib, co-founder of Combatants for Peace (2017-2018). Activism in the complicated reality of Israel/Palestine led him, as a professional actor and director, to search and create new forms of activist theatre with conflicted groups of Palestinians and Israelis, prisoners, drug addicts, homeless people, refugees, people with disabilities, and more. Chen co-founded Holot Theatre, a company of African asylum seekers and Israeli citizens. Chen's artivist journey through the 'Polarized Model of Theatre of the Oppressed' that he has developed over the past two and a half decades is depicted in the documentaries, Disturbing the Peace (Stephen Apkon & Andrew Young, 2015), Between Fences (Avi Mograbi, 2016) and, There is Another Way (Stephen Apkon, 2025).

Amirali (Fri Nov 14, 3:00 pm) was born in a small village on the mountains of Afghanistan. As a child, he and his brothers would sleep on the rooftop of their house during summer nights, gazing at the starry sky. This peaceful life was shattered by civil war, forcing his family to flee to Iran. There, as a refugee, he was denied access to education and many basic rights. At the age of 11, he began working, taking on various jobs as a shepherd, gardener, and farmer, experiences that deeply connected him with nature. This bond became the foundation of his love for nature and landscape photography. His photographic journey began in Lesvos. To date, he has presented his work in six photo exhibitions across Lesvos, Thessaloniki, Germany, and France, in collaboration with museums and universities. His next exhibition will be in London. Through his photography, Amirali seeks to capture both the beauty and challenges of the world: the hardships he endured and witnessed as a refugee, human rights violations, and the impact of climate change, alongside humanity’s resilience, creativity, and hope—the beauty of nature and our deep connection to it. He is now based in France.

Sadaf Arafati (Sat Nov 15, 6:00 pm) is the founder of Guftagu Counselling and Psychotherapy (OPC) Pvt. Ltd and the winner of the Restore Awards 2022 for “Mental Health Beyond Boundaries” along with Aryan Somaiya. As a plus sized queer woman, Sadaf has lived experience of conservatism at home and Islamophobia outside, However, she has always used her curiosity and resourcefulness to balance the fine line between hope and loss. Her therapy, training modules, workshops and supervision work is influenced by relational psychoanalysis, which is a school of thought that sees people as primarily existing and shaping their selves within relationships. Sadaf has expertise in mental health concerns like anxiety, depression, body image and self esteem issues as well as working with concerns of marginalization that affect Muslim, oppressed caste, queer and trans clients. She believes that the crux of all therapy is to work through loss, hate, differences, love and grieving. She loves to teach, research and write, other than doing individual, couple and family therapy. She also consults with mental health NGOs and startups on user-friendliness and efficacy of their services. In her spare time, she likes to read, write, paint, listen to old Hindi songs and spend time cat whispering.

Kahlil Bagatsing (Thur Nov 13, 6:30 pm) loves helping people and organizations grow. Whether he’s working in tech, education, or nonprofits, the common thread through all his adventures is building communities that lift each other up. As Community Engagement Manager at Upwardly Global, Kahlil helps immigrant and refugee professionals connect, lead, and thrive through leadership councils, alumni networks, and events that celebrate shared purpose. Before joining Upwardly Global, he served as Executive Vice President at Channel Technologies, Inc. and as Board Chair for Make-A-Wish Philippines. A lifelong connector and creative spirit, Kahlil believes in the power of play, collaboration, and curiosity to make change happen—and to make the world a little brighter (and a lot more fun).

Wycliffe Barasa (Sun Nov 16, 9:00 am) is a Kenyan social entrepreneur, educator, and community leader dedicated to empowering young people to become agents of change. He is the founder of Kosi Africa and Kosi Tech - initiatives designed to address educational inequality, youth unemployment, and Africa’s brain drain through creative, locally grounded solutions. Under Wycliffe’s leadership, Kosi Africa has impacted thousands of young people through programs such as the One Dollar Back to School Campaign, Kosi-EduTech, EduGreen, and the Chipukizi Innovation Leadership Program (CIL Program).He is an alumnus of the International Class of 2024–2025 at East Side Institute. Born and raised in Kenya, Wycliffe grew up with firsthand experience of the barriers that prevent many young people from accessing quality education, mentorship, and economic opportunities. Inspired by the values of resilience and community service instilled in him by his grandmother, he committed his life to empowering others and building pathways for sustainable, community-led change. Wycliffe’s approach centres on the belief that with the right support, young people can transform not only their own lives but also their communities and countries. He continues to build partnerships with local schools, businesses, government agencies, and international organizations to advance his mission.

Lior Ben-Zvi (Sat Nov 15, 12:00 pm) has been with the American Friends of the Parents Circle since 2023. Previously, she served as Director of Camp Shomria and Manager of Community Relations for Toronto Ward 12. She has been working in Israel-Palestine education for nearly a decade and is happy to be with the PCFF team. Lior holds a BA in Middle Eastern Studies and French from Rutgers University, as well as a Fundraising Specialization from UC Davis.

Lamprini Blatsiou (Fri Nov 14, 3:00 pm) is a sociologist, a traveller through human stories, and someone who believes in the power of connection. From 2016 to 2023, Mytilene wasn’t just the place where she studied—it became a home, a meeting point of cultures, and a canvas of unforgettable moments. As a volunteer and activist in refugee camps, she didn’t just witness stories; she became part of them. The people she met weren’t just faces; they became family. Through research and lived experience, she has explored migration from different angles. But for her, sociology isn’t just about theory—it’s about action. One of her dreams is to pursue a PhD, not just as an academic pursuit but as a means to critically examine and advocate for policies that challenge exclusionary integration frameworks and promote inclusive social change. With her participation in the project Art into Acts, she wants to share what they lived—the music, the tastes, the dances, the friendships. The idea of creating this video brought back all those memories, the emotions, and the deep longing for reunion. It reminded them of the connections we built and the desire to create new experiences, to keep writing this shared story of belonging and togetherness. Because even far from home, tenderness, connection, and hope always find a way to bloom.

Eva Brenner (Sat Nov 15, 6:00 pm) is an independent experimental theater worker, author, and producer in Vienna, Austria. After studying art, theater history, as well as stage design in Vienna, she worked for five years in Austrian, Swiss and German theaters before moving to the USA in 1980. Here she studied Performing Arts and Performance Studies at NYU (M.A. 1983 and Ph.D. 1994 under Richard Schechner) and became co-founder of the independent political Castillo Theater. Since 1994 she has been working out of Vienna, as artistic director of the experimental theater collective PROJEKT THEATER STUDIO/FLEISCHEREI_mobil, where she directed over 50 political performances and new formats of socio-theatre with migrants and community people. Currently she is working on a new concept for a Community Theater Center in Vienna, Austria. She has toured, lectured and given workshops internationally (Germany, Italy, Switzerland, France, Israel, Poland, Hungary, USA, China and others) and in 2013 published her book about independent theater ADPATATION or RESISTANCE, The Loss of Diversity (Promedia, Vienna).

Elena Boukouvala (Fri Nov 14, 3:00 pm) is a dramatherapist, psychologist, participatory action researcher and performance activist, coming from Greece and based in London, UK. Since 2004, she has led projects and built communities as a therapist, researcher, teacher and artist in Greece, UK, Serbia, Moldova, Romania, Germany, Hungary, Lebanon, Western Sahrawi refugee camps and the USA. Since 2016 she has been working with young people across Europe co-creating through performance new communities and new culture in response to the refugee policy crisis. She is the founder and director of the international Play Perform Learn Grow conference, founded in 2017 in response to the suicides of young people in Greek refugee camps. She undertook her PhD in Sociology and Postdoc in Human Geography with Open University (UK). She is a faculty of the Epineio Institute for Arts Therapies (Greece) and the East Side Institute (USA). A graduate of the ESI International Class, she has also been part of the international organizing committee of PTW.

Jorge Burciaga-Montoya (Thur Nov 13, 6:30 pm) is the Provost at the Pedagogical University of Chihuahua (UPNECH) and is currently pursuing his PhD in Education there. He holds a master’s degree in education and earned his undergraduate degree in math education from the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juárez (UACJ). He trained in social therapy with the East Side Institute and is now an associate there. For over 20 years, he has worked with community NGOs. He also co-founded the Fred Newman Center for Social Therapy, a cross-border group called Performing Communities de Esperanza on the US-Mexico border, and has been involved with the international movement The Global Play Brigade since its beginning.

Daniel Buriticá (Sat Nov 15, 3:00 pm) is a social innovator, community builder, and international speaker dedicated to bridging divides and reimagining how societies build trust. He is the founder of BAKONDO, a leadership camp that brings together young people, former combatants, and victims of conflict to heal, collaborate, and create shared visions for peace. His work has inspired thousands across Colombia to rediscover the power of dialogue, empathy, and collective action. Daniel also leads Colombia Construye Confianza, a national movement to reduce polarization and rebuild social trust. The movement helps citizens, communities, and companies learn to listen, collaborate, and find common ground across differences. Recognized by Semana magazine as one of Colombia’s brightest minds in social innovation, Daniel is a Global Shaper of the World Economic Forum and an Ashoka Fellow. His initiatives have been awarded the “Shaping a Better Future” Grant Challenge by The Coca-Cola Company and the World Economic Forum. Beyond his social work, Daniel is an innovation strategist and Chief Operating Officer at Solve Next, a California-based firm that helps organizations build intelligent innovation systems and develop the mindsets to drive meaningful transformation. As a speaker, Daniel has shared his message of reconciliation, innovation, and leadership in over 37 cities across four continents, inspiring audiences to think differently about change and to act to make it happen.

Viviane Carrijo (Thur Nov 13, 6:30 pm & Sat Nov 15, 6:00 pm) holds a doctorate in Applied Linguistics from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP). She is a postdoctoral scholar at the same university, focusing on play as a theoretical-methodological tool to develop research with communities in São Paulo. Viviane is an associate of the East Side Institute, a member of the Latin American team of the international movement Global Play Brigade, and a co-creator and researcher of the Brincadas Project.

Eline Charles (Fri Nov 14, 9:30 am) is a facilitator and designer who loves working with people to make spaces more inclusive and resilient. She started Making Space in Belgium as a way to bring communities, organizations, and cities together to co-create ideas that matter. Her work often focuses on diversity and inclusion, public space, and climate resilience. She’s curious, creative, and not afraid to try things out, always looking for practical ways to turn ideas into action. Collaboration is at the heart of what she does. For each project, Eline brings together the right mix of people so that different perspectives can shape the outcome. With Making Space, she supports municipalities and organizations to move away from top-down planning and towards more shared, participatory futures.

The Gift Chikere (Sun Nov 16, 11:00 am), a performance activist and artist, employs poetry, music, theater, and storytelling to advocate for social causes, amassing five years of experience in her craft. As an ambassador of Street Project Foundation, she aligns with the organization's mission of using creative arts to foster youth engagement, social mobilization, and cross-cultural dialogue. Street Project Foundation is also a member of the Moleskine Creativity Pioneers Program in Milan, Italy. Gift is the mobilization lead for Street Project Foundation's ARTVOCACY movement in Lagos, Nigeria, engaging artists to advocate for social issues through their art. She is also a community field officer with Street Project Foundation on the pilot project for the exploitation of Child Domestic Workers. She is committed to using creative arts as a tool to facilitate social change positively.

Lea Csikós (Sun Nov 16, 3:00 pm) is a social therapeutic practitioner, developmentalist, intercultural trainer, and community organizer from Novi Sad, Serbia. With over 20 years of experience living and working across Europe and now based in Antwerp, she leads Developing Across Borders groups at the East Side Institute, exploring health, life teams, grief, relationships, cross-cultural resilience, and more. A co-founder of the Volunteers Centre of Vojvodina, she has created programs that have reached hundreds of youth and communities. Today, she draws on her combined expertise and experience to design spaces that are engaging, transformative, and human-centered. Lea brings curiosity, warmth, and a love of travel, the sea, animals, improv, and cycling into her work—because, as she jokes, growth is serious business, but it should also be joyous.

Fatima Zahra Elboussaidi (Fri Nov 14, 9:30 am) is the Executive Director of IPDA-Morocco and an English language educator with over twenty years of experience in public education. She serves as a coordinator with EcoManka, where she leads on research and article writing to capture the project’s impact and share its methodology worldwide. Fatima is also an adjunct professor at Mohammed V University’s École Normale Supérieure in Rabat and a doctoral researcher at Ibn Tofail University, focusing on professional learning networks, teacher well-being, and intercultural teaching methodologies. An ICSEI Junior Scholar Fellow and Catalyst 2030 associate, she brings expertise in transformative pedagogical practices, play-based learning, and equity-oriented education to EcoManka’s mission of empowering youth and educators to co-create sustainable, community-driven solutions.

Chekwube Isaac Eze (Sun Nov 16, 11:00 am) is a visionary Nigerian singer-songwriter, music executive, and cultural advocate whose life and work embody the transformative power of music and art. In 2025, he served as Music Facilitator and Curator at the Artvocacy Boot Camp of the Street Project Foundation, guiding young creatives on how to use music as a tool for healing, awareness, and action which led to creation of HELP and BOBO total theatre productions. Chekwube’s leadership extends as the Creative Director of the Artvocacy Movement, Lagos Chapter, where he partners with other creatives like The Gift Chikere to drive art-led interventions. He is also the CEO of The CIP Company, a production house that nurtures talents, delivers innovative media solutions, and champions socially impactful projects. His career in television has seen him host and co-host shows such as 'Gospel Jamz' and 'Naija How Far' on the African Broadcasting Network, where he also served as Head of Programs Scheduling (2015–2021). He has graced platforms like Fusion at GBLagos, Barcode Play in Abuja, and the Work in Progress Project by Oxfam, while also co-producing impactful films and theater pieces such as 'Kala,' 'Silence,' and 'No Food for Thought.'

Rita Ezenwa-Okoro (Thur Nov 13, 6:30 pm) is a culture engineer who leverages play and the performing arts to design interventions that strengthen youth leadership, psychosocial resilience, civic participation, and safer community norms. As a thought leader, speaker, author and creative strategist, she has directly trained over 5000 youths and women in business and social entrepreneurs, producing ripple effects that have impacted two to three times that number across families and communities. Her programs have delivered measurable transformation for 80% of alumni—combining applied theatre, improvisation, role play and storytelling to enable teams accelerate trust, make sound decisions and adopt new behaviors. She is a Founding Member and Executive Director of the Global Play Brigade (GPB). Rita is the founder of the United Nations and BMW Group’s Intercultural Innovation Award-Winning Street Project Foundation. This organization implements inclusive creative arts-led leadership programs for at-risk youth in Africa. Rita is a Mandela Washington Fellow, recipient of the Lagos State Award of Excellence in Youth Development and Entrepreneurship Development, respectively, a three-time global fellow of the International Society of the Performing Arts (ISPA), and now the first Nigerian to serve on the board of ISPA, a prestigious organization for performing arts leaders across the world. Rita is also the author of Doing. Being. Becoming: For the love of the creative arts (New Degree Press, 2022), a book about her performance journey as a grassroots creative youth organizer in Nigeria.

Thecla Farrell (Sun Nov 16, 3:00 pm) – originally from Trinidad – produced and performed in community/political theatre, became a social therapeutic coach with Life Performance Coaching Center, and currently leads a variety of emotional developmental groups, including multi-family groups. She co-leads a WhatsApp emotional support group for girls living outside Kampala, Uganda, as part of the Let The Girl Be! initiative organized by East Side Institute Associate, David Kawanuka.

Jessie Fields, MD (Sun Nov 16, 3:00 pm) – an internist with a medical practice in Harlem – is a poet, community organizer and developer of the Institute’s initiative Creating Our Mental Health. She brings emotional wellness activities to soup kitchens, immigration service centers, churches and sanctuaries. Playing and performing with poetry, jazz and playful meaning making, she supports participants to create environments that are generative of “our” (i.e., “we-built-this-for-us”) mental health. This group activity fosters connection, love and camaraderie and is a practical challenge and push back to the stigma of “mental illness.”

Teddy Florea (Fri Nov 14, 9:30 am) is the founder of EcoManka, a global initiative empowering youth to become eco-leaders and social entrepreneurs through PlayDesign, gamification, and participatory education. With over 15 years of experience in international community building, event design, and social innovation, Teddy has worked across Europe, Latin America, and Africa to co-create programs at the intersection of sustainability, creativity, and human connection. He led EcoManka’s pilot in Moravia, Medellín, where 30 teenagers designed eco-projects such as urban gardens and community storytelling, and is currently expanding the model to the Balkans and beyond with partners in education and technology. Passionate about storytelling and systemic change, Teddy designs playful, transformative spaces where youth and educators reimagine education, resilience, and sustainable futures together.

Carlos Gaviria (Thur Nov 13, 6:30 pm) is a Consultant and Facilitator in Communication, Experiential Education, and Team Coaching located in Bogata, Colombia. With over 20 years of experience, he has facilitated processes with individual contributors, middle managers, and senior management in Colombia, the United States, Spain, and Latin America. His approach is based on Experiential Education, Team Coaching, Consultative Sales, and Strategic Planning, creating spaces for transformative learning and personal growth. Carlos is also a bilingual Pharmaceutical Consultant, a specialist in Organizational Development, a Team Coach, and certified in THINK WRONG. His work is guided by values and principles that drive transformation and personal and organizational excellence. Carlos is active with the Global Play Brigade.

Caryn Green (Thur Nov 13, 1:00 pm) is CEO of Sibikwa Arts Centre and a PhD candidate in Cultural Policy and Management at Wits University. With extensive experience as a cultural manager and producer, her work focuses on collaborative governance, sustainable arts ecosystems, and the role of arts education in advancing equity. She has led national and international projects, designed training programs, and published on applied drama, contemplative practices, and arts for community development. Caryn is committed to bridging the gap between policy and practice to ensure that community arts, culture, and the creative sectors thrive as spaces of learning, development, and transformation.

Hikaru Hie (Lou) (Thur Nov 13, 6:30 pm) is a highly experienced trainer and facilitator with 20 years of experience in the corporate training and development field in Asia, specializing in impactful training programs, organizational development, and project management. Since 2019, Hikaru has been the Principal of the Kyoto University of Art and Design High School, while training and facilitating workshops for corporate clients, including IBM, Sony, Olympus and Infocom. She is Leader of Global Play Brigade One Asia and co-leader of GPB Japan and the GPB Educator Salon. She is Founder of Applied Improvisation Network Japan (2009) and sat on AIN’s international Board from 2010-14, 2017 and 2019. Hikaru is focused and passionate about Edutainment (Education x Entertainment).

Jordan Hirsch (Thur Nov 13, 6:30 pm) is a speaker, coach, and trainer on a mission to help good people take up more space in this world. He is the founder of FishTree, a professional development company that makes it safe, fun, and possible to do hard things at work. Jordan is also the cofounder of The Improv Mindset, where he develops leaders and teams through play. A regular facilitator with the Global Play Brigade, Jordan can often be found amongst the breweries and bike paths of New York's Hudson Valley, where he lives with his family, his dog, and lots of musical instruments.

Samuel James (Sat Nov 15, 6:00 pm) is a leading Disability and Deaf Strategist, Arts Expert, and Inclusion Advocate redefining accessibility and creative empowerment across Africa. As the Executive Director of Seams Deaf Pro Foundation and Founder of Seams Consults, Nigeria’s foremost sign language interpreting and accessibility consultancy, Samuel merges strategy, advocacy, and artistry to bridge the communication gap between Deaf and hearing communities. Married to a Deaf partner, Samuel’s personal and professional journeys intersect to create a rare depth of cultural understanding that informs his innovative approach to Deaf inclusion. Through Seams Consults, he leads a professional network of interpreters delivering high-quality interpretation and accessibility solutions across education, healthcare, legal, corporate, and media sectors. Beyond interpretation, Samuel’s expertise extends into disability inclusion design and policy implementation. He currently serves as Disability Consultant for St. Agatha Inclusive Learning Center and KARISMA Special School, and as Managing Director of KARISMA Abilities Foundation, where he shapes programs that build inclusive learning environments and empower people with disabilities to thrive. A pioneer in Deaf arts and culture, Samuel founded and curates the All Africa Deaf Arts Festival, an international platform that has showcased Deaf creativity in Lagos, Accra, and Abuja, uniting artists, dancers, and advocates from across the continent. Under his leadership, Seams Deaf Pro Foundation has produced over 40 advocacy-driven performances in partnership with organizations like the British Council, UNICEF, and Oxfam, amplifying the artistic voice of the Deaf community. Through his strategic leadership and artistic vision, Samuel James continues to inspire systems-level change, proving that Deaf culture is not just to be understood, but to be celebrated. His work stands as a testament to the power of inclusive innovation, where accessibility meets artistry to create lasting social transformation across Africa.

Sulaiman Khatib (Fri Nov 14, 12:00 pm) is co-founder of Combatants for Peace and, as such, was nominated for the 2017 & ’18 Nobel Peace Prize. He is a Board Member of ELHAM – the Day After and a local organizer who has been recognized internationally for his contributions to promoting, peace, social justice and equality for all. Sulaiman is also the co-founder of Ripples Collective, a group of Palestinian and Israeli non-violent activists, artists, and facilitators. He is a renowned speaker and lecturer worldwide. At the age of 14 Sulaiman was sentenced to fifteen years in prison and served a term of ten and a half years where he spent his time learning about history, Hebrew, English and about other world conflicts and peace activists such as Ghandi and Mandela. He acquired his entire education and worldview in jail. Sulaiman is the author of In This Place Together: A Palestinian’s Journey to Collective Liberation, alongside Penina Eilberg-Schwartz. The work chronicles the powerful experiences that led him to dedicate his life to joint nonviolence, through encountering the deep injustice of torture, witnessing the power of hunger strikes, and studying Jewish history.

Jacklyne Juma (Sun Nov 16, 9:00 am) is a dedicated and creative teacher at Manyole Primary School with 10 years of experience in education. She is deeply passionate about nurturing student talent, specializing in the performing arts, including music, dance, drama, and recitation. She is committed to fostering a disciplined and excellent learning environment by integrating rigorous academic instruction with robust co-curricular activities. Using a learner-centered approach, Jacklyne excels at promoting teamwork and creativity. Her expertise includes performance training, choreography, stage management, and public speaking, all aimed at comprehensive talent development. Jacklyne’s commitment to excellence is demonstrated by the success in coaching and mentoring learners who have represented Manyole Primary School at sub-county, county, and regional music and drama festivals.

Rouddy Kimpioka (Fri Nov 14, 3:00 pm) from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), finished university with an Engineer in Computer Science, and obtained a Diploma in IT programming in 2014. He is also a versatile musician with over 14 years of experience in performance, composition, songwriting, singing, dance, and arts education. He left his country in 2017 for safety reasons. After a few months, he arrived in Greece on Lesvos Island and was placed in the Moria camp. After a year of facing numerous hardships in Moria, the largest refugee camp in the EU, he founded Rad Music International. "RAD" means Refugees African Dance, an initiative born inside the camp that has transformed the lives of many by turning cries into smiles. Even in the most difficult moments, Rouddy believes that we must always hold onto hope one day change will come. After seven years, he finally obtained his legal documents, allowing him to travel freely. He is now on his first European tour, preparing to launch a magazine to share his experiences and provide vital information for displaced on the move who dream of coming to the EU. www: radmusicinternational.com

Mieke Lippstreu (aka Boyish Charm) (they/he/she) (Sat Nov 15, 6:00 pm) shares their experience of drag as a site of possibility. Their drag persona, Boyish Charm (it/its), is a Denver-based drag thing that delights in wreaking havoc on your assumptions about drag and throwing a spanner in the works of hegemonic gender discourse. Its performances range from pointed political and social critiques to the downright silly, and have taken place anywhere from Denver Pride's Main Stage to CU Denver's Gaza solidarity encampment. Boyish Charm seeks to co-create experiences with its audience that, on the one hand, point to the absurdity of much of what is and, on the other, invite them to boldly imagine what could be.

Anuradha Marwah (Sat Nov 15, 9:30 am) is a novelist, playwright, and professor of English. She joined pandies' theatre in 2002 and is leading it now. Her play Ismat's Love Stories was shortlisted for the prestigious Hindu Playwright Award in 2016 and continues to be performed in various parts of India. Her adaptation of Medea, which she also directed, had fifteen performances in Delhi and villages of Rajasthan in 2019. Currently, as a Fullbright Scholar-in-Residence, she is teaching a special topics course, “Reimaginig Medea: Participatory Theatre,” in Hollins University, Virginia, USA.

Elyse Mendel (Sun Nov 16, 3:00 pm) is a social therapeutic coach for Developing Across Borders. She has 40 years of experience as a community activist with the All Stars Project’s youth development and community theatre programs. Elyse retired from her position as Director of Career Services with the City University of New York, Baruch College, where she utilized improvisational play and other group building approaches with graduate students. She has a Masters Degree in education from Baruch College.

Melissa Meyer (Sun Nov 16, 3:00 pm) is associate director of the East Side Institute, the global home for social therapeutics and performance activism. Each week she meets people new to the Institute where she shares its history, mission, resources and connects them with the ever-growing rhizome that is its community. Melissa is a social therapeutic coach and the program manager for Developing Across Borders, a project that offers five weekly, emotional development groups for anyone who wants to grow their creative capacity to respond to their lives and the world in new ways. For more than two decades (since 2001) she has helped to build the Performing the World community of thousands of performance activists, mental health leaders, educators and many others from more than 40 countries. She is currently practicing yoga and student teaching yoga (Vinyasa flow) classes to complete her certification. She resides in the Pacific Northwest, USA.

Rachel Mickenberg, LCSW (Sun Nov 16, 3:00 pm), is a social therapist, clinical mentor and educator. In her private practice, she leads groups with young people, families and adults. She is also a co-leader, with Drs. Hugh Polk and Jessie Fields of the Institute’s Creating Our Mental Health online workshops — open, monthly conversations generating community well-being and engaging understandings of mental health, psychiatric diagnoses and emotional distress. Rachel leads the Social Therapeutic Group Study Program and participants' clinical training and supervision. She co-founded the High School for Public Service in Brooklyn, NY and there built a youth mental health program open to all students.

Abetta Milka (Sun Nov 16, 9:00 am) is a teacher at Bugendi Junior School in Bukhayo West, Kenya. Since her appointment 2023, she has developed her leadership skills, instilled discipline in learners making them become more productive through various activities such as, drama, music, games and sports. Abetta graduated from Maasai Mara University in 2017. She is highly skilled in computer knowledge and use of ICT in classroom set up, as well as equipped with instructional skills used in creating lesson plans, administration skills which ensures smooth learning in her institution. Abetta has good interpersonal skills developed through constant learner-teacher communication, collaboration with both students and parents and the staff at large. Through her guidance, learners have known how to conserve the environment making them self-reliable in the society.

Sibahle Mtimkulu (Thur Nov 13, 1:00 pm) is a passionate facilitator and voice-over artist from Gauteng, South Africa. She's the co-founder of Curtain Call Kids and founder of The Learning Stage, innovative companies that use drama, dance, singing, and play to empower young minds. As an artist and educator, she specializes in using play, dance, music, and performance to facilitate learning and personal growth in young people aged 3-18 years. Currently Sibahle works at the Windybrow Arts Centre in their afternoon program where she creates engaging, kinesthetic learning experiences that incorporate the school curriculum in a fun, interactive way.

Jesica Alexandra Gómez Murillo, (Fri Nov 14, 9:30 am) a 29-year-old Environmental Engineer from the University of Antioquia. Her skills include social work, project formulation, agro-environmental, GIS-Maps, waste management, administration, and innovation. She is the CEO of JARUM, a non-profit corporation, and has work experience as a leader of environmental projects and an environmental area promoter at the Moravia Cultural Development Center. Her roles have involved environmental management, teaching environmental education, coordination and administration of activities, and georeferencing using GIS tools. She has also been involved in several socio-environmental projects such as Recicladores Por Un Día - JARUM and PROCEDAS COMPOST ESCUELA, Verde Esperanza, many of which were winners of competitions and participatory budgets. She speaks native Spanish and intermediate English.

Madam Pascalia Nanga (Sun Nov 16, 9:00 am) is the Headteacher at Manyole Primary School. With a nurturing and collaborative approach to leadership, Madam Pascalia models compassion, dedication, and resourcefulness to both students and teachers. She has over 20 years’ experience in teaching and is committed to promoting academic excellence and the holistic development of students, despite the systemic challenges she encounters. As a teacher, Madam Pascalia doesn’t just instill knowledge in her students but also, through music, fosters joy, curiosity, and belief in their learning abilities. As a headteacher, she collaborates with teachers, parents, board members, local leaders, government agencies, and NGOs to nurture a safe and supportive learning environment both in and out of school. Madam Pascalia’s goal is to create awareness of the importance of education and student well-being within the Manyole community, an effort aimed at ensuring 100% transition for students completing their final-year exams and raising healthy, capable leaders of tomorrow.

Jane Mildred Adera Odhiambo (Sun Nov 16, 9:00 am) is the headteacher at the Makongeni Primary School, Nambale Township, Kenya, as well as a teacher of English, Creative Arts, and Agriculture and Nutrition. She was born and brought up in the Lang’ata Barrack sin Nairobi, attended primary, secondary and high schoold there, and is a graduate of Kampala International University. As a member of St. Paul’s Church Langata choir, Mildred developed a liking for music. She has been a teacher for 36 years and is committed to bringing up an all-round learner who embraces education for self-reliance.

Sarid Olarte (Fri Nov 14, 9:30 am) is a 12-year-old a high school student in Moravia. She is a curious and creative girl who is immersed in different sociocultural processes in the neighborhood, from sports with capoeira and volleyball activities to environmental education programs for environmental leaders at her school and Green Hope. From these programs, Sarid learns about cultural dynamics while strengthening her youth leadership skills in the territory.

Hugh Polk, MD (Sun Nov 16, 3:00 pm) is a “barefoot community psychiatrist” trained in the waning days of community psychiatry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and later with Institute co-founder Fred Newman. Hugh helped build the Bronx Center for Social Therapy serving poor communities in the South Bronx, and since has practiced in hospital and university settings and developed a social therapeutic group practice. He has regularly joined colleagues with their clipboards at street fairs and housing projects to create conversation on psychiatric diagnoses and mental distress. Hugh blogs at MadinAmerica.com.

Alison Polley-Green (Thur Nov 13, 1:00 pm) is a researcher, educator, lecturer and cultural manager based in Johannesburg, South Africa with a MPhil in Education from the University of Cambridge, UK, currently working in the Culture Programs office at IFAS, the French institute in South Africa, Alison is also a sessional lecturer, supervisor and moderator for Drama for Life (DFL) an Applied Theatre department, which is part of the School of Arts at the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) in Johannesburg. She is personally invested in research around play and believes fundamentally in the power of arts to transform and develop communities.

Arham Sayeed Quadri (Sat Nov 15, 9:30 am) is a committed theatre worker who believes in the power of performance as a tool for social reform and critical public engagement. She has been associated with pandies' theatre since 2019. Professionally, Arham is a development practitioner with nearly five years of experience, focusing on migration, urbanisation, and informality. Holding a Master's in Development and Labour Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University, she has worked extensively on the ground and has been instrumental in developing user-friendly training modules and structuring capacity-building efforts for Self-Help Groups (SHGs) across multiple cities.

Lorena Rodríguez (Sat Nov 15, 6:00 pm) is a multidisciplinary artist, cultural practitioner, and peace educator whose work bridges creativity, collective memory, and social transformation. Trained in Peace Studies (ICU, Japan), she creates sensory and educational experiences across the Americas and Asia that nurture imagination, care, and justice. Rooted in more than a decade of learning at the crossroads of ancestral wisdom, art, and science, her practice weaves performance, storytelling, poetry, textiles, and culinary art to open spaces for reflection, dialogue, and unlearning. In 2023, she co-founded Chicha Fest, a community-based initiative in Sacramento that blends art, agriculture, and cultural exchange. Her work—shaped by collaborations with Indigenous and folk communities of Abya Yala and communities impacted by incarceration—draws from her experience as a brown, mestiza, migrant woman. Lorena’s art moves beyond aesthetic contemplation and spectacle, positioning creativity as a catalyst for collective care and new forms of coexistence.

Sinisa Rudan, MSc, Computer Sciences/Engineering, Electrotechnical Faculty Belgrade (Sat Nov 15, 6:00 pm) is an independent researcher and a senior full-stack IT developer with 20+ years of experience, project manager/leader of several multidisciplinary Socio-IT projects, entrepreneur, international lecturer, and writer/artist. His work is transdisciplinary - in socio-IT collaborative ecosystems, Collective Creativity and Intelligence, Gamification, IT-supported Education, and (online) Communities. He applies it to CleanTech, well-being, Social Psychology, Art and Literature, Sustainable Development, and the Startup world.

Cathy Rose Salit (Thur Nov 13, 6:30 pm) is a social entrepreneur, executive coach, improviser, jazz vocalist, and performance activist. She is the founder of The Global Play Brigade, a community formed at the outset of the pandemic that provides free play and emotional support sessions around the globe. As a founder and former CEO of the award winning leadership consultancy Performance of a Lifetime, she led the growth of the company for over 23 years, working with thousands of leaders and teams in top brand companies. In her current coaching company she works with leaders and teams in businesses and nonprofits around the world. Cathy is the author of Performance Breakthrough: A Radical Approach to Success at Work, and her work has been featured in the Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Fast Company and the Wall Street Journal. She has been a community organizer since she was a teenager; building alternative schools, teen pregnancy prevention programs, social therapy centers, independent political campaigns, the All Stars Project, and the Performing the World and Applied Improv Network global conferences. Cathy lives in St. James, NY where she is an active part of the cultural community there, performing at varied venues including The Jazz Loft and Science Plays Festivals at the Simons Center for Geology and Science.

Michael Sample (Thur Nov 13, 10:30 am) is a music director, composer, and producer. His career has been dedicated to working with children and families through social services, arts education, and community-based initiatives internationally. For over two decades, he has worked as a teaching artist, professional development facilitator, and nonprofit executive, leading programs around the world. As a composer, Michael has written music for choirs as well as original songs for children and families for theatrical and media productions. He is currently the Producing Artistic Director of Voices for Change, a global choir initiative of the Playing for Change Foundation, a nonprofit that advances social change through a global network of music and arts education programs. The choir brings together young musicians and professionals from across Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Its first album of original songs and music videos focused on social change is set to be released in 2026.

Meinka Sharma (Sat Nov 15, 9:30 am) has been a core member of pandies' theatre since its inception nearly three decades ago. She has acted in numerous productions and facilitated workshops in under-served communities. For several years, she worked closely with women and children in Pushta and Kali Basti, then among Delhi’s largest slums, using theatre to raise gender awareness. Her role often extended beyond performance, to teaching children and, on occasion, helping rescue and rehabilitate survivors of gender-based violence. Professionally, Meina also works as a behavioural and attitudinal facilitator with corporate groups.

Joleen Sheldon (Sat Nov 15, 6:00 pm) is the founder of Emotional Theater, a creative entrepreneur, artist, and emotional learning advocate dedicated to building emotionally intelligent communities. Drawing from her personal journey of healing through creativity, she transforms emotional growth into immersive, arts-based learning experiences. Her work bridges storytelling, education, and technology to make EQ development accessible for all.

Mustafa Sheta (Sat Nov 15, 6:00 pm) is a Palestinian cultural leader, researcher, and human rights advocate, currently serving as the General Manager of The Freedom Theatre in Jenin Refugee Camp, occupied Palestine. With over two decades of experience in journalism, civil society, and cultural development, he has been a prominent voice in advancing cultural resistance and artistic freedom under military occupation. Sheta holds an MA in Conflict Resolution and Development from the Arab American University and a BA in Journalism and Political Science from Birzeit University. Despite multiple arrests and over 15 months of administrative detention by Israeli authorities, he continues to champion culture as a form of liberation and community resilience, mentoring a new generation of Palestinian artists and activists.

Tsholofelo Shounyane (Thur Nov 13, 1:00 pm) is passionate about the arts, education, children and community development work. She is a drama facilitator, author of a children’s book, doll-maker (and maker of other things), puppeteer, storyteller, educator and child enthusiast. Currently she works as Education Coordinator at ASSITEJ SA, managing several arts education and community based programmes. She holds a BA in Drama (University of Pretoria), a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Central University of Technology) and a Copywriting Certificate (University of Cape Town).

Aryan Somiaya, (Sat Nov 15, 6:00 pm) Transman, is a co founder of Guftagu Counselling and Psychotherapy (OPC) Pvt. Ltd. He is the winner of the FMES-IJME Ethics Awards for the year 2022-23 in the Category 1 (Advocate/champions with lived experience of mental health issues). He believes that mental health is an interplay between what is done to us and what we do with it. He believes in the richness and strength of personal and private experiences and expanding on those is what helps us to access choice and agency with regards to life’s problems. As an arts based therapist and someone who is passionate about movement, dance and non-verbal means of working, he curious about what is unspoken, denied, unseen, implicit but present and the internal and external experiences of psyche in relation to the outside world. He is also a trainer of gender sexuality related topics, co-author of Trans Affirmative Mental Health Care Guidelines Manual and co-creator of Queer Affirmative Counselling Practices Resources Manual (QACP). He also consults with organizations, startups and NGOs on mental health interventions, queer affirmative workplace policies and Diversity and inclusion work. In his free time, he likes to game, cook, dance and spend time with pets.

Lourdes M Supriya (Sat Nov 15, 9:30 am) is a Delhi based filmmaker, teacher, and theatre practitioner. She's been associated with pandies' theatre for over a decade, starting out as an actor before facilitating theatre workshops. She currently supports the group as the production manager. As a facilitator, she has conducted theatre workshops with school children, students in colleges, and female survivors of gender and sexual violence.

Abraham “Abramz” Tekya (Thur Nov 13, 3:00 pm) is a Ugandan creative facilitator, Hip Hop artist, breaker (breakdancer) and social change activist who has dedicated his career to empowering communities through arts and education. He is the founder of Breakdance Project Uganda (BPU), a voluntary non-profit organization that uses dance, Hiphop and arts for education, empowerment and social change. As a creative facilitator, his multi-disciplinary approach focuses on personal growth, community building, diversity, leadership, teamwork & collaboration, critical thinking, effective communication, problem-solving, well-being, creativity and having fun. Abramz is not only known for his groundbreaking work with BPU but also for his contributions to Uganda's Hip Hop scene. Alongside his brother Sylvester, he formed one of the country’s longest-serving socially conscious rap duos. Together, they have performed, mentored, and created platforms for other artists, leaving a lasting impact on the Ugandan music landscape. Abramz’s influence extends globally, with performances, workshops, and collaborations in Kenya, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Denmark, USA, Poland, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, South Africa, Senegal, among others. Beyond his artistic endeavours, Abramz has worked with international organizations like Oxfam, ActionAid, UNICEF, USAID, UNHCR, Redbull Media House, and National Geographic to advocate for social change. Featured in acclaimed documentaries such as Bouncing Cats and Shake The Dust, he has received worldwide recognition, including the 2016 We Free Hero Award, in Italy, CNN, BBC, The Huffington Post, Documentary Channel and Voice of Africa. Abramz remains deeply committed to empowering individuals to address their challenges and create positive solutions, exemplifying the transformative power of creativity and education. www.abramztekya.com

Vritika Thareja is an advertising professional and theatre practitioner based in Delhi. She joined pandies’ theatre in 2015 and has since been an active member, performing in several productions and facilitating workshops. Through her association with the group, she has worked with communities such as Shakti Shalini and Nithari, using participatory theatre as a medium to raise awareness and encourage dialogue around gender and social justice. Vritika brings together her expertise in communication strategy and storytelling to explore how performance and narrative can intersect to influence thought and change.

Ranko Trifković (Fri Nov 14, 9:30 am) founded edtech startup Red Viking, dedicated to educational projects. With over 20 years of experience in local, regional, and international workshop activities, Ranko combines storytelling and playfulness with education, focusing on experiential learning and co-creative play spaces. Proud member of EkoManka since 2022.

Grace Okochi Truphena (Sun Nov 16, 9:00 am) is the headteacher at Kajoro Primary School in Nambale Sub-County, Kenya. Since her appointment in 2020, she has developed her leadership skills, instilled discipline in learners making them become more productive through various activities such as, drama, music, games and sports. Through her guidance, learners have learned how to conserve the environment, making them self-reliable in the society. Madam Grace is also highly skilled in the use of Information and Communication Technology in classroom set up. She has good interpersonal skills developed through constant learner-teacher communication, collaboration with both students and parents and the staff at large.

Thembile Tshuma (Thur Nov 13, 1:00 pm) is an Education Coordinator at ASSITEJ South Africa, an Applied Drama and Theatre Practitioner from Drama for Life (Wits University) and performing arts practitioner. Over the years, Thembile has been involved in many Arts Educational projects which speaks to the huge importance of arts education in schools across Africa. Some of the notable programs he has been involved with are artsINSIDEOUT (South Africa), Creative Borders (Botswana) and Ubumwe (Uganda). He believes that educational institutions need to play a huge role in formulating safe and fun spaces for children

Fabio Joel Tunno (Fri Nov 14, 3:00 pm) is a musician, performer and spiritual researcher who devotes his time and energy mainly to art, music, mindfulness and humanitarian projects. His interest in music blossomed relatively late. Before starting his artistic journey he studied anthropology and spent most of his time travelling, engaging with other cultures and broadening his horizons. Constantly trying to contribute to positive change in the world, he has recently been working on several projects focusing mainly on the concept of “active art”. After various artistic experiments and musical research, travelling through the meanders of jazz, funk and blues, he finally discovered the joy of using his music as a tool to support a bigger mission. Finding his own style, he decided to use his guitar and his compositions to give voice to the voiceless women in Afghanistan and to all refugees forced to leave their homeland in search of dignity. In his understanding of art, music becomes an ‘emotion-breaker’: a means to give the lyrics greater power to penetrate the human spirit.

Antzela Tzoure (Fri Nov 14, 3:00 pm) is a sociologist, researcher, and observer of the microcosm of everyday life. Due to her studies in Lesvos during the refugee crisis, as well as her own experience of migration, her research has focused on human movement and the diverse cultures that arrived on the island during that time. Humanitarian action for solidarity and justice became an integral part of her daily life. Through her volunteer work—both with various organizations and individually—she stood by people and fought alongside them for a better world we can call our own. Together, they formed bonds of friendship and created a place where everyone belongs, each bringing their own uniqueness. In an effort to keep these memories alive and share her stories and observations with others, she turned to what has always expressed her best—writing. She has written short poems and stories inspired by her life in Lesvos and the moments she shared with so many remarkable people. She hopes that one day they will come together in a book and offer hope to those who read it. Art has the power to transform the world; it can inspire people to keep fighting for cities full of color and life.

Elena Yaqubee (Fri Nov 14, 3:00 pm) was born in a mountainous land which is called Afghanistan. She is a musician and an activist who has been searching for a home since she was born. After experiencing the effects of war, injustice, and oppression in her native Afghanistan, Elena fled her homeland for Iran, then travelled from Iran to Turkey, from Turkey to Greece, and from Greece to Germany. She travelled mainly by foot and by way of small illegal rubber boats. Over the last few years, Elena has devoted herself to music, which has helped her to make sense of her life and express her feelings through the magic art of vibration which has empowered her to share her voice, her experiences, and her complicated journey. Not only do her poetry and music speak to Elena’s own life experiences, but they also speak on behalf of countless others, narrating the bitter realities shared by forgotten humans in voiceless countries. She is from a country where women do not have any rights and freedom, but she is in Europe where women can choose. This is painful for her when she encounters this big injustice, but she wants to be the voice of those women that the world left behind. Elena's dream and goals are to develop and flourish in her artistic life and study music professionally. Art is the most powerful and invaluable treasure in her life. Art gives her an opportunity to express her lost feelings and experiences. (Let’s let peace flow through our veins).

Jordan Hirsch is a speaker, coach, and trainer on a mission to help good, smart people experience more joy and confidence at work; use the power of improv to help leaders & teams communicate, collaborate, and connect; and put an end to boring, painful presentations. He is the CEO, Lead Trainer & Coach at FishTree as well as the Cofounder, Trainer & Facilitator at The Improv Mindset. Jordan has been voted an audience favorite at SXSW, where he has spoken five times over the years. His background in performing, teaching, and coaching improv comedy informs the work he does, as do his years as a manager, a leader, a technologist, and a consultant. Jordan is a regular facilitator with the Global Play Brigade. He can be found amongst the breweries and bike paths of New York's Hudson Valley, usually hanging out with family, watching horror movies, or making music.

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