ABSTRACT
The festival culminates with a performance from a local band and the sharing of food. Early in the process a set of ‘assemblies’ are held with the young people to begin discussions on organising the festival. It was agreed with the educators that theatre games would be utilised within the assemblies as a means for young people to explore collective participation and to ‘simply have fun’. The Chilean neoliberal context necessitates a political position of antagonism and opposition. Mouffe’s notion of ‘engagement with’ state institutions entails a level of complicity which was not deemed ethically or pedagogically appropriate by myself or the educators. As Freire said, the concepts of hope and struggle are inseparable. His experience in Chile made understand how meaningful collaborations not only transcend educational expectations but provide hope in an environment that exists to dehumanise and oppress young people.
