Today, on the occasion of World Theatre Day, the Adecco Foundation wants to highlight the role that theatre plays as a tool for social and labour integration for people with disabilities, who often have serious difficulties when it comes to accessing the labour market.
At the Adecco Foundation and within the framework of the #EmpleoParaTodos project, the Ítaca School of Art and Communication is being developed, as well as the Empleario project, a theatre company where a group of 20 people with disabilities train their skills and competencies to achieve a full and independent life. For the protagonists of Empleario , theatre is a tool for social and labour inclusion that allows them to show themselves and others that people with disabilities can be the protagonists of important projects if they are given the opportunity. In addition, it constitutes an escape route to get out of their daily routines and difficulties. This is confirmed by Irene, one of the people participating in this project: « Empleario is the way to clear my mind when I have a problem or I feel bad».
On the other hand, feeling part of a group, where each person has a responsibility, is another of the objectives that have been achieved thanks to this project. People with disabilities can often have the impression that society does not take them into account, that they are not offered the same opportunities as others. Thanks to Empleario, this concept has changed for many of its participants, such as Laura: “Empleario is the way I feel part of society.”
The first play premiered by Empleario was La Apuesta . It tells the jordan phone number data story of a call that a disabled woman receives from a company that invites her for a job interview. The play covers the process from receiving the call to conducting the interview. Vanessa Sánchez, consultant for the Adecco Foundation and coordinator of the project, highlights the main purpose of the play: “The aim is to be able to perform the play in both public spaces and in companies, and thus turn it into a tool for raising awareness. We have already performed it twice. We premiered it at the Sala Mirador in Madrid on the occasion of the International Day of People with Disabilities and, today, we are submitting our candidacy to theatre competitions and inclusive art competitions.”
The main objective of the project is to help them find a job . In this sense, three project participants have now found a job opportunity. Congratulations!
Jordi Navarro is an integration and inclusion consultant at the Adecco Foundation and, together with Vanessa, coordinator of the Empleario project . He tells us about the change that theatre has meant for all these people and how Empleario has taught them very important aspects of life that we should all put into practice, such as the sense of effort and teamwork: «Theatre has allowed us to work on skills and abilities that, beyond the world of work, will be useful for each member of Empleario; for example, the sense of effort, the importance of assuming responsibilities in teamwork, and skills as enriching as reading and not being afraid of Culture. Culture is the most powerful source of transformation.