Young Thespians’ Toolkit – For Youth Educators and Youth Leaders

The Young Thespians’ Toolkit – For Youth Educators and Youth Leaders is available in English, Icelandic, and German. The Toolkit is a collection of resources, materials, and guidelines compiled and organised to assist youth leaders, educators, and professionals in performing arts education. This 32-page digital publication is available under a Creative Commons License and free to download on this page.

The Toolkit was developed during the 16-month Erasmus+ project, titled “Young Thespians: Performing Art Education for All!” from September 2022 to December 2023, thanks to a collaboration between Reykjavík Ensemble International Company in Iceland and the research institute EDUCULT, and Associated Partner Musisches Zentrum Wien, based in Austria. Starting from the research in Iceland and Austria, through international training and pilot workshops with local youth, the partners gathered immersive tools, focused on inclusivity, that will help youth educators and youth leaders, facilitators of all levels who want to start a project for and with youth.

The research in Iceland and Austria, shed light on the ongoing tension between social reality and institutional practice in performing arts education, as well as numerous challenges in ensuring equitable access to performing art education for youth. The stories, exercises, and methods included in the Toolkit will be helpful to anyone interested in ensuring that all individuals have equal opportunities to participate fully in the performing arts, regardless of their background, abilities, or circumstances. The Toolkit was created with the aim to promote a sense of belonging, equality, and active participation for all youth and facilitators.