Transcript 19 Lessons from ZIPoPo The most momentous thing in human life is the art of winning the soul to good or evil. Pythagoras.

19 Lessons from ZIPoPo
The most momentous thing in human life
is the art of winning the soul to good or evil.
Pythagoras
Shamil Fattakhov, Kazan, Russia
[email protected]
Trip Barthel, Reno, NV, USA
[email protected]
ZIPoPo
Russian acronym for the Institute for Positive
Moral Behavior
Also known as Happy Hippo Show, Stop and
Act, People’s Theater, Golden Choices
Teaches groups to write, act and direct
Addresses issues important to the community
Performance stops at high point of conflict
Audience is asked about the principles and
wisdom they would apply
Audience is asked for positive solutions to the
issue
ZIPoPo around the World
Started in Kazan, Russia in 1994
Live television and radio shows
1995 Women’s Congress in Beijing
Programs in 63 countries, 5 continents
Peacemaking in Kosovo and Cyprus
100+ performing groups
2,000 trained moderators
Ohrid,
Macedonia
Ohrid,
Macedonia
1. ZIPoPo promotes stability and positive
relationships. In 1998-2001 it was used in
Southeastern Europe, including Albania, BosniaHerzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary,
Macedonia, Romania and Slovenia, and sponsored
by the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg.
Svarfadardal, Iceland
Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
Jinsheng, China
2. ZIPoPo is an effective method for moral education
in schools. It was used in many schools of the
Russian Federation, including Moscow, Kazan,
Perm, Izhevsk and in other cities; in Germany,
India, China, Malaysia and other countries
Tirana,
Albania
Tirana,
Albania
3. All people have common problems. In many countries
where ZIPoPo was presented the same topics touched the
hearts of people: alcoholism, drug addiction, violence,
misunderstanding of parents and children etc
Dalian, China
Humanity may be likened unto the vari-colored
flowers of one garden. There is unity in diversity.
Each sets off and enhances the other's beauty.
(Abdu'l-Baha)
4. The experience of one culture can help the other.
This is called a transcultural approach and was
described by psychotherapists Dr. Nossrat and Dr.
Hamid Peseschkian in Germany. Sometimes skits written
by someone from one culture makes sense in another
culture. In the United States, a topic of parental
consent written by an author from Romania was staged.
At the beginning many participants noted that this is
not a typical problem for the US, but later they were
deeply involved in the discussion.
Paris, France
Ohrid, Macedonia
5. ZIPoPo promotes an exchange among and
between different social and age groups.
Dushanbe, Tajikistan
6. The ZIPoPo method has
been used in different
countries with minor
adaptations. In 2005,
Mahnoz Jonmahmadova
from Dushanbe, Tajikistan
started the ZIPoPo
Television talk-show at the
National Television Studio
after she learned about
ZIPoPo from her friends. It
ran successfully for a year.
Vinnitsa, Ukraine
7. The human conscience is trained when we live
through imaginary situations. Sergei Soloviev, a
ZIPoPo Trainer in Ukraine, used the ZIPoPo
method with the youth crime department in Vinnitsa.
He reported that one boy showed significant
improvement in his behavior after performing
numerous ZIPoPo shows. He admitted that he was
“wrong in doing many things without even thinking”,
and that now he “will care about the
consequences.”
San-Paolo, Brazil
8. ZIPoPo helps people express their talents in
dramatic arts, in script writing, acting, and stage
design. In Brazil, ZIPoPo inspired almost 60
participants in the training seminar to create a
high quality, wonderful dramatic presentation.
Zylt, Germany
Frankfurt, Germany
9. ZIPoPo helps people deal with social problems. In
Germany, “People’s Theater,” a non-commercial
organization, works in collaboration with the local police
department to prevent violence in families and in youth drug
addiction.
Kazan,
Russia
Kazan,
Russia
10. Young people need to learn from a positive
role model. ZIPoPo shows a person who
goes through the process of transformation
and becomes a positive hero.
Erfurt, Germany
11. We must see HOW our life works! ZIPoPo helps us
build a positive model for our own life. During one of the
shows a young girl said that she had a serious conflict
with her mother the day before she joined the ZIPoPo
training. She was so frustrated that she seriously
thought of committing suicide! The group was inspired to
help her and performed this situation for her. She
watched very closely and at the end she confessed that
she had never before thought about the feelings of her
mother in situations like this! She was determined to
apologize to her mother
Kazan,
Russia
11. ZIPoPo shows that through making repeated positive
actions, kind behavior is promoted and character is
strengthened. In Kazan, young prisoners who were
involved in ZIPoPo training often expressed feelings of
remorse and transformation due to the discussions of
moral topics. After they were released, several of them
approached the ZIPoPo organizers and expressed their
desire to continue a friendly relationship with the program
and in gratitude for helping them think about their life.
Kiev, Ukraine
12. ZIPoPo helps people make
difficult but just decisions. Elvira
told about her boyfriend who was
trying hard to persuade her to start
a sexual relationship before they
were even considering marriage.
She participated in the ZIPoPo live
TV talk show concerning
Premarital Sex and her boyfirend
happened to watch the show! She
was very thankful to ZIPoPo for
helping her to find the proper
words for her boyfriend and to help
her stand for her point of view.
Later, they were happily married.
Chaco,
Argentina
13. ZIPoPo helps reveal the hidden problems of certain
social and ethnic groups. In Argentina, Anna Martinez,
Indian of the Toba tribe, wrote a skit “A Bucket Full of
Love” about a young girl preparing for a date. Her mother
forbids her to go because her elder daughter became
pregnant on a date. After the conflict it was decided during
family consultation that the younger daughter will invite
the young man to visit the house.
Wien, Austria
Santa-Cruz, Bolivia
14. ZIPoPo helps prepare young people for
unexpected situations in their life, mostly
through establishment of the moral norms.
Kluj,
Romania
15. Some people change their mind during a ZIPoPo
Show! A participant in Romania who openly
expressed his hatred towards the Roma (Gypsy)
people, said that he had changed his mind as a
result of a very touching discussion involving
Roma participants. Discussion included tears,
songs and very open, frank speeches.
Erfurt, Germany
16. ZIPoPo allows the parties
to be detached from the
issue and see it from
another perspective. This
lessens frustration and
promotes objectivity.
St. Pölten, Austria
Dalian, China
17. ZIPoPo helps develop collective thinking in a
search for a positive solution to the problem.
Vushtri, Kosovo
Erfurt, Germany
18. ZIPoPo helps promote the habit of analyzing
unexpected situations in a limited period of time.
Cali, Colombia
19. ZIPoPo helps people share one’s
positive ideas, and to teach others.