Teatro Metaphora – Associação de Amigos das Artes is a non-profit association, which was founded in 2009 on Madeira island, Portugal. Since then, the organization develops cultural, educational, and environmental activities for the benefit of the community’s development. 

The organization’s activities are an essential part of the overall strategy for Madeira to be a creative community, and the organization itself a meeting point for innovation and change, aimed at strengthening the excellence of our island.


Organization´s main actions can be grouped into three distinctive segments:

– producing, promoting, and participating in cultural activities of various artistic disciplines, contributing thereby to the development and dissemination of cultural heritage;
– organizing national and international projects, seminars and training, under local, national, and European programs (Erasmus+);
– developing a wide range of activities and workshops related to environmental sustainability, natural heritage, recycling, climate-changing, environmental best practices topics. 

Teatro Metaphora's mission is:
– to help people to gain social and personal competencies – to give opportunity for the local community to discover their creative talents thereby contributing to community development by promoting human and family values, tolerance, leadership, inclusion, respect for human rights, and social awareness;
– to contribute to an artistic and cultural program aimed at enhancing the quality of life of the community;
– to raise awareness about environmental problems and climate change, an innovative and creative way, and motivate people to consume wiser and responsibly.

Awards, recognition

In 2019 our long-term initiative Green Steps was recognized by the European Commission winning The European Sustainability Award.

In the same year, we won the Gulbenkian Sustainability Prize.


Activities

Volunteering

The organization’s operation is mainly based on the cooperation of the staff and a group of local and international volunteers. We have consolidated roughly a group of 60 volunteers who usually participate and collaborate perennially in the activities. Moreover, around 100 other volunteers sporadically contribute. Under the local Programmes: Juventude Ativa, Voluntariado Juvenil, Jovens em Formação, Estágios de Verão, Ingress@, etc. During the year we are hosting volunteers from different countries and also sending youngsters abroad.

Green Steps is a long-term environmental educational project in which the community, especially the youth, is activated towards environmental protection in an innovative and creative way. A wide range of activities and workshops are organized, related to environmental sustainability, natural heritage, recycling, climate change, environmental best practices topics. The aim of the project is to fight social apathy and the lack of active participation of citizens in environmental issues.

Learn more about the project’s recognition and awards.

Green steps

Theatre

Developing theatre performances that give opportunity for the local community to discover their creative talents thereby contributing to community development by promoting human and family values, tolerance, leadership, inclusion, respect for human rights, and social awareness. Under the international projects, the organization makes various plays based on the methodology of Theatre of the Oppressed developed by Brazilian Augusto Boal in the context of discrimination and human rights violations in Brazilian society in the 70’-ties. (Forum, image, legislative, newspaper theater, etc,)

We give various workshops, such as photography, decorating canvas, making art installations, gastronomy, gardening, mental health, inclusion, drama, art therapy.

Since 2018 under the project PRINT | Programa de Inovação organization gives various workshops in the area of sustainable development, for instance: how to be more environmentally friendly, handmade cosmetics, upcycling clothes.

Workshops

Street art projects

Since 2015, Teatro Metaphora has been working on several environmental artistic missions under Green Steps project, which take around half a year to be completed. An active group of local and international volunteers collects urban waste constantly and transforms it into art pieces. Every summer the art installations are exhibited in the city center of Câmara de Lobos. These art projects foster an interventionist attitude, arouses the curiosity and interest of the entire community in good ecological practices and behaviors. It makes people more responsible, wiser, and sustainable consumers as well as active citizens.

Since its founding, in 2009, Teatro Metaphora has organized, hosted, and taken part in numerous youth exchanges, study visits, training courses and seminars. The organization coordinates projects under the Erasmus+ Programme and European Solidarity Corps. Also cooperates with different European organizations as partners for Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs and Creative Europe programmes.

International projects

Contact


METAPHORA
Associação de Amigos das Artesetaphora@gmail.com 
351 291 644 531
 Office address: Caminho do Ilhéu 31,
9300-072 Câmara de Lobos Registration address: Travessa da Saraiva 12,
9300-154 Câmara de Lobos,
Madeira Island – Portugal NGO registered in Portugal as an association
Tax Number/VAT: PT509113893