Fostering Social Inclusion through Creativity: A Report on the Act & Art Project Closing Event
On January 26th, the Act & Art project hosted its closing event at the Center Rog in Ljubljana, Slovenia. This event marked the culmination of a two-year initiative coordinated by the APIS Institute across five European countries. The project partners Association Odnos, Center Rog, EDI from Belgium, EFTA from Turkey, Green Muse from Germany, Les Créatives de Demain from France, aimed to promote social inclusion of young migrants and refugees through the development of innovative nonformal educational approaches and creative engagement in youth work.
Katarina Kromar from Association Odnos presented the needs assessment report that served as a basis for the development of international training for youth workers who wished to further develop their knowledge about hte potential of using creative medium for social inclusion of vulnerable youth.
Katarina Needs Assessment
The evening commenced with opening remarks from presenter Miha Zor and Center Rog director Renata Zamida. They reflected on how global events profoundly impacted participants over the project’s course, highlighting Ukrainian and Palestinian attendees who fled war at home, and are also joining the closing event of the project in Slovenia because of this very reason. Supporting their social inclusion and integration is a crucial aspect of Act & Art project. This set the tone for Act & Art’s core message: that creativity can unite across borders, even in trying times. What followed was a showcase of activities facilitated by Act & Art across partners and participants. The programming reflected diversity in mediums and participants. Musical performances included ethnic fusion artist Ali R Taha of Syria/Iraq and rapper El Henry of Palestine and Guillermo Escalante from Argentina. Dance spanned contemporary artist Alisa Novska of Ukraine and Circus Fuskabo acrobat Ahmed Kullab of Palestine. Trainer and fascilitator Abdelhakim from Morocco presented his photography workshops from refugees. Craft workshops for asylum seekers, refugees and migrants were led by ceramicist Rok of Slovenia, embroidery and cultural experts Rahima and Ahamad of Afghanistan, macramé artist Katja of Slovenia, and upcycling zero waste maker Olga. Dance workshops were presented by Hana and Katarina. Additional workshops by Malgosia, Islam and Valeriya addressed mental health, dance therapy and purpose-discovery.
Rok Oblak and Clay Workshops
The presenters had all participated in Act & Art’s international training program for youth workers in Ljubljana. Local organizations then implemented participatory workshops for migrants, refugees and other vulnerable youth. These activities aimed to foster social inclusion by bypassing language and cultural barriers through creative collaboration.
Hakim Presentation of Follow Up Activities
For example, Rahima Haidari’s weaving workshop connected Afghan heritage to new communities. Rok Oblak’s clay molding workshops facilitated self-expression through clay modelling. Dance workshops with Hana Alhadi cultivated embodied cultural exchange. Photography exhibits visualized perspectives of refugees living in Slovenia. Throughout, collaborative creativity supported participants in navigating complex realities.
Selfcare Workshops
In sum, the evening not only presented the key project outputs as a needs assessment report, training and tools developed within the scope of the project, but also illuminated the power of socially engaged arts to seed and nourish intercultural connections. Through participatory workshops, Act & Art leveraged creativity’s potential to transcend difference. In the process, the project planted promising seeds of inclusive community – not despite tumultuous soils, but because of them.