About the project
Creativity is a powerful force for change, and combining art with activism („artivism“) offered dynamic ways to engage young people in meaningful social action. Youth workers play a vital role in empowering young people to find their voice and use creative expression to enhance active participation and address community issues.
This training equipped youth workers with the tools, methods, and inspiration to integrate artivism into their practice. Participants learned how to facilitate creative processes that encourage critical thinking, collaboration, and impactful communication on social themes.
This non-formal learning activity was part of the Erasmus+ Accredited projects in the field of youth. Information about European Dialogue’s accreditation is also available on the Erasmus+ Dissemination Platform.
Objectives:
- Help youth workers gain or improve competences they need to responsibly and effectively draw attention to socially important topics and advocate for a positive change through arts.
- Provide youth workers with know-how, insights into current trends, effective methods and tools, and inspirational examples.
- Empower participants to be able to pass what they learnt on to peers and youth – inform them and provide qualified support related to practical connections between arts and activism.
About the activity
June 9-15, 2025 in Hrnčiarovce nad Parnou, Slovakia
Turn your creativity into action and your voice into change
The training was designed for motivated youth workers, trainers, facilitators, mentors, and NGO staff members aged 18 or older who were fluent in English. Participants were selected based on their eagerness to gain new competences in using creative methods, facilitating participation, exploring activism through art, and connecting with like-minded professionals through non-formal educational methods.
Participants acquired a variety of competences to address contemporary challenges related to human rights in the digital space. During the program, they:
- Understood the core concepts of artivism and active participation and their relevance in youth work.
- Gained hands-on experience with various creative techniques applicable to activism ( visual arts, digital tools, performative methods).
- Learned to facilitate participatory processes using methods such as Theatre of the Oppressed and collaborative project work.
- Developed skills in using storytelling and creative communication for social impact.
- Explored digital artivism tools and strategies for online engagement.
- Strengthened soft skills crucial for facilitating youth participation and group work.
- Designed and planned artivism-based activities or projects suitable for their local context.
Final materials created by participants
The participants of the training were asked to create paintings, poems, digital art, videos, art expos, and even theatre plays for the topic of artivism . All participants were randomly split into smaller groups for their group work. Some of the participants chose to work alone on an art piece. The process was guided with the facilitators in two ways. Firstly, parts of the workshops during the week focused on creative expression, digital arts and corresponding tools for creating art. Then, in the last two working days of the training course, the facilitators were hosting editorial meetings with the groups of participants in order to gather feedback and improve their work. In those meetings, we also provided technical and creative support. Materials for creating their final art pieces were provided by European Dialogue such as markers, paints, canvases, textiles, and more.
All group works were presented in the last session of the training course among their peers.
1) Summary of art creation process for paintings depicting climate change issues
2) Testimonials and behind the scenes on art piece regarding wildlife preservation
3) Montage of the performative art piece
3a) Pictures of final result of the performative art piece: picture 1, picture 2
4) Poem about artivism with montage of paintings
4a) Creation process of poem and paintings
5) Recording of the theatre play
5a) Pictures from the theatre play: picture 1, picture 2
Resources shared by trainers and organisers
Impressions from the training
Summary video of the training created by one group of participants
You can check the pictures on our social media – gallery on Instagram and on Facebook
European Dialogue / Európsky Dialóg, o.z.
Financed by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme, KA1 – Mobility of young people for accredited organisations, through its Slovak National Agency – NIVAM.
Participants of the training can receive LinkedIn certificate. If you are one of them, please write to m.maska@europskydialog.eu for details that are needed to complete the certificate.
