The founder of the Street Project Foundation, Mrs Rita Ezenwa-Okoro has canvassed for the adoption of legislative theatre to enhance governance and increase youth’s engagement.
Ezenwa-Okoro stated, “After identifying a gap in our ARTvocacy Movement model, which encourages youths to use their creative talents to speak out against injustice, the Street Project team was selected for a capacity-building programme called Demo Reset, designed by Extituto, a Colombian organisation that patented Legislative Theatre, a unique method for empowering communities to engage in policy-making through storytelling and performance.”
She explained that legislative theatre harnesses the power of participatory theatre to develop innovative policy solutions.
As part of the Demo Reset programme, the Street Project team organised a Youth Legislative Theatre Laboratory between February 3 and 5, 2025 in Kosofe local government area of Lagos State.
She noted that, “This pioneering initiative brought together youths, policymakers, artists and international collaborators to address pressing issues such as unemployment, political thuggery and social inequality.”
Participants identified unemployment as the most critical challenge, with a staggering 90 to 95 per cent consensus among the youths.
“Many shared personal stories of frustration and lost opportunities, revealing how joblessness has driven some into crime and political violence.
“Legislative Theatre is not just about performance; it is therapeutic and a catalyst for advocacy.
“It shows that storytelling can inspire systemic change, enabling youth to debate policies and explore new perspectives.
This builds a foundation for real and impactful policy change,” Ezenwa-Okoro stated.
In her contribution, Melissa Vélez from the Demo Reset Team at Extituto, Colombia, said, “Our organisation in collaboration with Street Project Foundation is dedicated to strengthening democracy in the Global South through citizen participation.
“Collaborating with the Street Project Foundation since April 2024 has deepened our understanding of deliberative democracy and community engagement.”
