Sitting together around a table in meeting rooms, restaurants and coffee shops in Santiago, I was reminded once again of something that I am constantly experiencing in ASSITEJ: a sense and feeling of belonging. We may come from very different places, work in very different contexts and speak different languages, but there is something that connects us: a shared belief in the importance of theatre and the performing arts for children and young people, a curiosity about what others are doing, and a willingness to reach out to each other, strengthen each other and learn together.
I have to admit that it felt a little weird to pack my suitcase for the EC meeting in Santiago de Chile with warm jumpers, long trousers and a warm hat. August in Germany had been so hot that we spent every free hour at the lake or the public swimming pool. When I arrived in Chile early in the morning of 16 August, it was about 5 degrees, grey and cloudy. Bringing all those warm things with me immediately made a lot more sense…
It was my first time ever not only in Chile but in South America. And yet, as the week unfolded, the feeling of being somewhere completely new was accompanied by something very familiar: encountering people who share the same passion for performing arts for children and young audiences. I was happy to spend this week with colleagues from ASSITEJ International and ASSITEJ Chile, as well as colleagues from Argentina, Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, Uruguay and Paraguay, who had come to FAMFEST and EXPOESCENA for meetings of the Ibero-American Network. We shared news and experiences from our different regions, talked about the things that are moving us and heard the latest news about the ASSITEJ Artistic Gathering in Brazil in 2028.
Sitting together around a table in meeting rooms, restaurants and coffee shops in Santiago, I was reminded once again of something that I am constantly experiencing in ASSITEJ: a sense and feeling of belonging. We may come from very different places, work in very different contexts and speak different languages, but there is something that connects us: a shared belief in the importance of theatre and the performing arts for children and young people, a curiosity about what others are doing, and a willingness to reach out to each other, strengthen each other and learn together.
For me, the new ASSITEJ Professional Network RED INTERNACIONAL ADOLESCENCIAS (RIA) (ADOLESCENCE INTERNATIONAL NETWORK) is a wonderful expression of this. The conversations that started in Cuba during the World Congress in Havana in 2024 have grown into an international network of artists and theatre makers from more than 10 countries and different continents, dedicated to performing arts for and with adolescents.
Adolescents are a group whose voices can be difficult to reach – and at the same time, they are among the people whose voices we most need to hear. They are navigating a world marked by uncertainty, conflict and erosion of common spaces that will shape their future profoundly. They are not only audiences or participants in our work; they are cultural citizens, with their own ideas, questions, fears and hopes.
This is where I see the chance of a network like RIA. Alongside the other professional Networks of ASSITEJ, it creates a space for artists and theatre makers to find each other across borders, share knowledge and experiences, research together and identify gaps in our work. It can build bridges between National Centres and Professional Networks and create opportunities for collaboration. And, perhaps most importantly, it reminds us that we do not have to find all the answers on our own.
This also makes me particularly excited about the upcoming ASSITEJ World Congress in Suwon City, South Korea, from 21 July to 1 August 2027. Our colleagues from ASSITEJ Korea have chosen Child Participation as one of the focus topics. For me, this feels like another important step in creating spaces where children and young people are not simply spoken about, but are heard, taken seriously and recognised as active participants in our cultural lives.
And perhaps this is also why I keep thinking about the weather in Santiago.
Over that week, the temperature changed from 13 to 24 degrees, with bright, dry days. It felt nice for us as visitors, but was rather troubling for the locals. The changing climate is no longer something distant or abstract. For many young people, it is a very real source of worry about their future – alongside wars, political uncertainty and a world that makes them feel increasingly isolated and lonely.
As people working in the performing arts for children and young audiences, we have the privilege of creating spaces where young people can express what concerns them, what they dream of and how they see the world. Perhaps we can listen even more carefully to these voices and bring their perspectives into our own work.
Just before I left for Chile, we had another tangible reminder of how closely our different realities are connected: our colleagues in Indonesia told us that their festival, part of the ASSITEJ Regional Cooperation Project WANDERLUST, had to be postponed to November due to fires linked to extreme weather conditions. In a report for the SHIFT Programme in 2025, the Green Team of ASSITEJ International has explored what the climate crisis can mean for our sector and our work as artists, which is shared in the Green Corner of this newsletter.
From Germany to Chile, from Cuba to South Korea, from adolescents finding their voices to artists finding each other: the contexts may be different, but the connections are real.
This, for me, is what belonging is about in ASSITEJ. Wherever we are in the world, there is a community we can turn to. A community that reminds us that, although we may be working in very different circumstances, we are not alone.
