AYA - I Am Not Afraid of You: combining assessment tools for evaluating a theater of the oppressed workshop

This interdisciplinary study investigates the transformative potential of the workshop AYA—I Am Not Afraid of You (“Aya—Não tenho medo de ti”), an innovative program that employs Theater of the Oppressed techniques to enhance well-being and empower young women. Participants engaged in collaborative and expressive activities to address and reframe experiences of oppression, fostering personal growth and collective resilience. A comprehensive mixed-method evaluation—integrating qualitative reflections, observational insights, surveys, and psychophysiological data—assessed the workshop’s influence on emotional well-being, reduction of reactiveness, and empowerment. The workshop took place in Porto, Portugal, with a small, purposefully selected sample of nine young Lusophone women, of Portuguese and Brazilian nationalities. While small in scale and diversity, the study demonstrates how such assessments can be adapted across cultural contexts. Results indicated improvements in well-being and embodied emotional indicators.