Job Shadowing & Empowerment Through the Puppet

The theatrical puppet is a powerful tool for educators. It helps strengthen students’ critical thinking, empathy, emotional expression, collaboration, and many other skills, while contributing to inclusion. It is not merely a means of entertainment; it encourages the cultivation of imagination and supports the processing of difficult experiences, such as violence or loss.

Educators and mental health professionals acquire practical tools that enhance communication and empower children. The puppet functions as a bridge — it connects, supports, and gives voice, especially where it is not easily heard.

The Visual Puppet Theatre Prasin Aloga has implemented Job Shadowing for the art school Merdardo Rosso in Italy, within the framework of Erasmus+ Indire. After an intensive 25-hour teacher training in Athens in February 2025, the director of the group Emmanouela Kapokaki  travelled to Northern Italy in May 2025 and worked for 20 hours with students on improvisation, puppet construction, and puppetry animation, while teachers guided the students through the creation of performances. Likewise, in March 2025, she trained teachers of Vakıfbank Middle School in Konya within the framework of Erasmus+ KA122-SCH Edu. Over 8 hours, they were taught puppet theatre techniques (construction, animation, improvisation) to support the inclusion of refugee children in the classroom. At the same time, experiential workshops were conducted with students, giving them space for expression and learning through art.