Nonviolent communication through puppet theatre

What we set out to do

Nonviolent Communication Through Puppet Theatre (NVCPT) was an Erasmus+ KA153-YOU training course by Association ALTER NETWORK, bringing together 32 youth workers from Bulgaria, Italy, Czech Republic, Turkey, Greece, Portugal, and Latvia for eight intensive days of learning in the remote village of Petrevene, Bulgaria. When designing the project, we noticed that youth workers who work daily with young people from vulnerable and marginalised backgrounds often lack tools to navigate conflict constructively and communicate empathically. This is where nonviolent communication came to be, combining it in a unique way that wasn’t thought of before – through puppetry.

Axolotl’s founder Toni Lyubenova was brought in as project writer, reporter and lead facilitator, drawing on her background in theatre, non-formal education, and NVC practice to design and deliver the training programme.

What Axolotl delivered

• Wrote the Erasmus+ KA153-YOU project application for Association ALTER NETWORK
• Served as co-facilitator across the full 8-day training programme
• Designed training sessions integrating NVC theory with puppet theatre practice
• Facilitated sessions on communication through animated objects, storytelling, and puppet-making
• Supported the Local Phase design, briefing youth workers on delivering follow-up events in 6 countries
• Produced the project report documenting learning outcomes, participant experience, and impact data

Approach and methodology

The training used experiential learning as its core framework – participants first experienced each method themselves before applying it to their own community contexts. Sessions moved from trust-building and group dynamics through NVC theory, puppet-making, and theatrical forms, culminating in original puppet shows created and performed by participants themselves.

Axolotl contributed expertise in theatre-based methodologies and non-formal education facilitation, adapting techniques from Theatre of the Oppressed, forum theatre, and embodied communication for a multilingual, multicultural group of youth workers.

Photography by Eve Enfer

What participants learned

• Foundations of Non-Violent Communication – the four-steps model: observation, feeling, need, request
• Communication through animated objects – using puppets as mediators in conflict situations
• Puppet-making – handcrafting original puppets representing different personality archetypes
• Storytelling and narrative structure – building scripts that reflect real community issues
• Theatre of the Oppressed through puppets – spect-actor methodology applied to youth work contexts
• Forum theatre and shadow puppet theatre – interactive performance formats for conflict exploration
• Vocalisation, movement, and character – practical performance skills for non-specialist practitioners
• Group puppet theatre show – co-creating and performing an original piece in front of a live audience

Impact and results

• 32 youth workers trained across 7 countries in NVC and puppet theatre methodologies
• 6 local follow-up events delivered in participants’ home communities after the training
• At least 60 young people from marginalised communities engaged through the local phase
• Original puppet shows and teaching materials created and shared across the partner network
• Youthpass certificates issued documenting the non-formal learning outcomes of all participants

© 2026 Axolotl  ·  Sofia, Bulgaria  ·  Working across Europe