We found it in Tornio

Last weeks workshop was a real boost for the whole team! We had a 3,5 hour long session with 18 participants from different schools in Tornio, and they worked HARD!

We started off with the regular warming up exercises and then went on to some creativity boosting and post-it writing. We have kept changing the workshop a bit for every new place we’ve been to and it feels like we managed to find the magic workshop mix in Tornio. We got the seriousity, the fun and games, and the tour and the participants produced some fantastic stuff.

Here is the list of ideas for The Reggae Rock and Rights Tour:

Group 1

Camping

Summer

Tents, field

Teams compete (sweden/norway etc with own flags)

1 week

middle of summer

music festival

different bands, both famous and not so famous

different genres

shops with fan stuff

drive-in movie maraton, somewhere dark, sleep day and night watch movies

costume parties

carnival

marathons

swimming competition in Tornio river

grafitti walls

Group 2

Big event, people from all around

Cape east (biggest sauna around, in Haparanda, takes 200 people)

Whole weekend

Summer

Get to know people

Include a big event

Carnival at hallituskatu. First police cars, then marching orchestra, stage on wheels with dancers

Music festival, 1 day

Rock, pop and more genres

Small workshops to try instruments

Model fashion show

Competitions between countries

Money raid

Group 3

Summer

Music festival 2 days

Rock, reggae, metal, drum’n’bass

Outdoors

Sport event

Skate

Minigolf

Floorball

Sovver

Beach partey + volley

Fashion show with models from all four countries

Cool cars

Group 4

All weekend

Cape east

Music near festival

All kinds of music

Bungy jump – or something else wild

Good food – important

Fashion show – also fashion for men!

In the sauna music tooo

Crazy!

Group 5

Music festival

Outside

3 days

1 rock

2 rnb, hiphop, rap

3 pop

Parties

Over 16 years

Time 20 – 02

Bubble team beach show horror good DJ

Cheap, low price tickets

Movies

Food from different countries

Extreme sports

Carnival

Tree jumping tower

Group 6

2-3 days

in the shopping centre + at the main street

decorated street

tent for arts

bands playing

sports next to the area

rally race at parking

sky diving

bungy jumping

special sports opportunities, things we cannot do here other times

Island of Happaraanta

Boat

If during winter fireworks

Shopping centre

New things to buy that we can’t buy regularly

Costume party

Live in tents

The participants also discussed these questions in groups:

1. How do we want to be treated?

2. How are we getting treated?

3. How do we want to treat each other?

4. What should be our rights?

They then presented for the rest of the group rights that they have, want to have or should have, out of the discussions. These are some of the rights that the group brought up:

• Everybody shall be treated equally, no matter the race
• Do what you want without hurting others
• Equality
• Education should be free and available
• Freedom of religion, not to make others think like you. It is not the best way to make others happy.
• A safe society
• Labour
• Right to be accepted the way you are
• Food, water, home
• Treat others the way you wish to be treated
• Should be able to say our opinions aloud
• No racism
• Right to live
• Right to eat whatever you want
• Right to be happy and do whatever you want to do

The outcome of this exercise, and the outcome from the other workshops we have had, is the foundation of the rights part of The Reggae Rock and Rights Tour. We have struggled a bit in finding the right approach to the rights, how to make in local and relevant for the participants, but I think that we have found the way now!

In all, we’re happy and thankful for this workshop. To our Tornio crew: you people are awesome!