Children on the run in play and arts workshops
Save the Children and the Reykjavík City Theatre School have signed a partnership agreement for drama classes for children who have applied for international protection and attend school in Hafnarfjörður. Theatre workshops and courses will be held at Víðistaðaskóli and Hvaleyrarskóli in March, with the aim of boosting the children's self-confidence, social skills and enjoyment of play. The City of Hafnarfjörður is supporting the project in partnership with Barnaheill.
Tótla I. Sæmundsdóttir, Director of Barnaheill, and Egill Heiðar Anton Pálsson, Director of the City Theatre.
The collaboration is based on the project. Lighten, which the Reykjavík City Theatre School launched in 2020 for applicants for international protection with the City of Reykjavík. The project was then expanded two years ago, when the Theatre School began a collaboration with the reception class at Seljaskóli, and further in 2025 when the reception class at Breiðagerðisskóli was added.
Through a partnership agreement between Barnahjálpin and the City Theatre, children in Hafnarfjörður now have the opportunity to take part in the project, with Hildur Ýr Jónsdóttir, the municipality's project manager for multicultural affairs, mediating the collaboration with the reception centres.
Drama education provides a safe and creative space where children can express themselves, meet others in a similar situation, and develop their social skills. Theatre encourages cooperation and communication, which are important aspects of adapting to a new community. The children learn to work in a group, listen to others and express their opinions.
A trauma-informed approach is used to accommodate the children's backgrounds, many of whom have experienced war, separation from their families, and the poor conditions faced by people on the run. Some have been on the run their entire lives, and in many cases, their schooling is very fragmented or non-existent. We strive to create a space where the children can process these feelings and have the opportunity to express themselves in a safe and creative way through drama.
Save the Children and the Reykjavík City Theatre School are delighted to now be able to offer children in the reception classes of Hafnarfjörður the opportunity to take part in the 'Létti' theatre project. The Municipality of Hafnarfjörður proudly supports this part of the project.
More about the theatre project Létti
In the Létti project, the reception staff of the schools the children attend work closely with the drama teachers of the Borgarleikhúsið Drama School. This enables the necessary support to be provided to the students, both in terms of their course management and empowerment, as well as in teaching and school activities outside of it.
The course initially takes place in the schools, where group-building and improvisation games are played, as well as introducing the theatre to the children, some of whom have neither seen a play nor been to a theatre. The group is then invited to a performance at the City Theatre, and the children get to experience all the work that goes on backstage and in the preparation of plays. The second part of the course takes place at the theatre, where they get to rehearse and eventually put on a small performance.
Experience has shown that for the children who have taken part in the project, drama is not just a game but also a platform for empowerment, building self-confidence and improving their bonds with one another. This, in turn, better equips them to adapt to their new community, school and classmates.
