With the support of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS), en.v - a civil society organization that aims to strengthen communities and empower youth in Kuwait - together with several other civil society organizations such as Trashtag, organized the final event of the AWAKEN project on 25 November 2022. AWAKEN is a community building programme that aims to bring together people from different backgrounds to break down prejudices, celebrate diversity and promote empathy. AWAKEN aims to provide a space for collective conversations that enable participants to connect meaningfully with each other, become aware of their role in civil society and thus become a part of community-driven social change in Kuwait.
The event took place in a camp in the desert, an hour away from Kuwait City. Upon arrival, all participants were welcomed by Khadija Rangwala (Operations Manager at en.v). In her speech, she reminded all participants once again of the importance of a functioning and thriving community. Afterwards, the participants were divided into groups of eight people each, who then shared lunch together in a Thaal ceremony. The groups were randomly placed to allow the participants to interact with others they did not know.
After lunch, a variety of workshops took place. The workshops were held in tents and the participants were free to choose which ones they wanted to take part in. For example, in one tent a game was played with the participating group in which there were two teams and they each had to sing a song together and the other team had to sing a new song that started with the last letter of the previous song. The participants were supposed to bring in songs from their respective cultures, if possible, to increase the diversity of the game.
In the Breathing Workshop, the participants learned new breathing techniques that can be used, for example, to reduce stress before exams. There was also a yoga session that included breathing techniques, which turned out to be more strenuous than expected for many but everybody left with a smile and a good feeling. All in all, there was a wide range of about 15 workshops including storytelling, self-expression and improv theatre among others. Parallel to the workshops, there was the possibility to participate in an Ethiopian coffee ceremony, a collective art installation or cooking together. For the latter, each participant had brought a vegetable of their choice, which was then made into a soup.
The soup was served at the end of the event in a relaxed atmosphere with a bonfire and live music. The aim was to bring together people from different backgrounds and communities to create a space for open exchange and new connections and friendships, as many groups have few points of contact with each other in everyday life. This goal was achieved through the many creative workshops and games and the participants all went home with a good feeling, new impressions and even new friendships. For many, it was a space where they could express themselves without being under pressure from their family or community to behave in a certain way. KAS has been supporting en.v since 2017 and has supported many successful projects that work for an active civil society in Kuwait.
