Twin Conference Amsterdam- Köln.

We gave a workshop on the GEECT-conference with film- schools from all of Europe how to cope with the multitude of changes for the last 50 years. Diversity or die.

Workshop 1 – Language and Body Language for all

Part 1 (Amsterdam):

Effective language skills (verbal and non-verbal) are essential for teachers to connect with their students. However, staff members and directors should also utilise effective communication skills, as our aim to be inclusive schools requires inclusive communication skills.

In this workshop we will explore different methods to connect with each other stepping over barriers of our apparent differences. How to make contact and truthfully connect when you come from different worlds, speak different languages. Maartje and Babs will share experiences and show examples of their work, they both have a lot of different experience working with people from divers background, religion and cultures.

Method: Together with the participants we will explore some methods and exercises involving body language, specific interview techniques and ways to overcome our cultural bias and differences. Audiovisuals will be used to show the understanding of listening.

Goal: Create awareness for the unconscious bias we exhibit every day in our language and body language, and how we communicate through it.

Workshop leaders: Maartje Nevejan en Babs Gons

Biography’s:

Nevejan is een multimediamaker/filmmaker who used to make lots of programmes, films and TV-series about political diversity theme: integration, racism, gender politics, nation states, religion. Her work broadcasted on national Dutch TV as on several international networks, amongst them Al Jazeera.Since 5 years she changed her filmmakers gaze from the outside world towards the inward worlds. Diversity for her is now how to tell multiple- voiced stories about a state of mind/body.She made a ballet with 54 cars for the disabled and 70 ballet dances of the Royal Dutch Ballet, and directed a TV series about it.Next to this she directed a long documentary and art project about people with schizophrenia.Currently Nevejan is finishing a project called:” If You Are Not There, Where, are you? “, A book, art exhibition, VR experience and a feature film about the worlds where kids and young adults go to if they are “gone”, when you have an epileptic absence seizure. Where are you, when you are not there?

Babs Gons is a spoken word artiest, writer, host and teacher of creative writing.. She regularly works as a teacher of spoken word and creative writing at schools and in youth production houses, gives master classes writing for performance and guides talent towards their goal. She has made plays with habitants of AZC’s (asylum seekers centers in The Netherlands), lead a storytelling workshop project with women in Sudan, working with multiple languages. Babs Gons is one of the most active spoken word artist of The Netherlands, she performs on radio and television and on countless stages and traveled with her work to South Africa, Sudan, Great Britain, Belgium and Brasil. Babs Gons is also a host of various programs, including the musical-literary show Babs’s Word Salon.