RAPPORT is a three years cooperation project between four companies over more than two years, using and developing collaborative community arts practice in different art forms – Acta community theatre, Historieberättarna, PI(È)CE – Tantarantana and Teatr Grodzki. The project had its roots in two previous projects funded through the Refugee Integration call (EACEA 2016) – REACT (Refugee integration And Engagement through Community Theatre) coordinated by acta, and Storytelling without Borders, coordinated by Historieberättarna.

RAPPORT was focussed directly on the recognised need to improve social integration between migrants, refugees and host communities in the four partner countries, by involving people in creative community arts projects.  The project also aimed to share and develop practice between the four companies, who all shared a joint commitment to arts and social development, but used very different art-forms in order to achieve their aims. Furthermore, RAPPORT was designed to create stronger networks, raise the profile of integrated refugee / host artistic cooperation through larger, more visible collaborative projects, share and develop practice; ultimately to diversify the workforce, and create a sustainable, practical legacy to assist the continuation and development of integration through the arts. The concept of the project was to spend one year making work locally, learning from each other through exchanges and training, the second year creating work together, and the third year disseminating that work.

The impact of the pandemic meant that original aim to blend live performance in each country with film/animation provided by other partners, was much more difficult to deliver. Most partners opted finally to create films, as the restrictions prevented gatherings of participants – or audiences, for that matter.The positive impact of this challenge was that several of the artists who had not worked with film before, were able to develop new skills in film-making. The creation of films also meant that the legacy of the project has become more permanent, with films created during the whole extent of the project which will continue to be available for viewing long beyond the end of the project.

RAPPORT was developed in a time of extreme difficulty, the four partners took a creative and innovative approach to meet and overcome the challenges posed by the Pandemic, and the ensuing national restrictions. The project forged new alliances and friendships amongst the many participants from very different backgrounds, and successfully challenged some of the stigmas and attitudes towards refugees and migrants. It also inspired a number of new artistic approaches, ideas for the future, and a series of strong friendships between partner organisations which are certain to continue into the future.