The School of Creative Solidarity
The School of Creative Solidarity
The “School of Creative Solidarity” is an educational, networking, dialogue and art program for 20 young Belarusian, Ukrainian and German activists and artists, who have either experienced being part of diaspora themselves or are interested in the situation of exile-communities. The program has three goals: 1) raising awareness for the situation of Belarusian activist diaspora in Ukraine and Germany, as well as for refugees and displaced persons; 2) increasing inter-societal solidarity and understanding by bringing people together and supporting each other in expressing thoughts, personal experiences and emotions; and 3) inspiring participants to use creative, artistic tools to create common projects.
“Creative Solidarity” consists of two analogue intense workshop phases in Germany and Ukraine respectively, a 3 months online mentoring program taking place in between the workshop phases and a final presentation of the outcomes. During the workshops, the participants will discover artistic approaches to creative and digital activism, acquire project management skills, gain crucial information on the situation in Belarus and develop self-determined art projects in international groups. Between the workshop phases, the participants will be professionally mentored online in developing these art projects. After the second workshop phase, their projects will be presented in the form of blogs, digital applications and artistic projects.
The outcomes of the project will have a hybrid form – both digital presentation and exhibition in physical space or/and temporary event in public space which will represent participants’ projects. The participants are inhabitants of Ukraine who are either Ukrainians, or part of the diaspora e.g. from Belarus, Georgia or Russia. The project is designed in cooperation by NGO “Cultural Geographies” and NGO “Libereco”.
Hannah Kikwitzki and Valerie Karpan
Hannah Kikwitzki is a volunteer member of Libereco and has longstanding academic and working experiences in the Ukrainian civil societal and political sphere. Working as political youth education expert for the youth party of the Social Democratic Party in Germany, she gained deep knowledge of conceptualizing and conducting political and creative educational formats for the youth. As member of Libereco, she also runs human rights campaigns and advocates for the release of all political prisoners in Belarus.
E-Mail: hannah.kikwitzki@lphr.org
Valerie Karpan is an artist, curator, educator, co-founder NGO “Cultural Geographies” and initiative “Children Geographies”. Master of cultural studies in NaUKMA. Works in the field of cultural education, inclusiveness, and participatory art, focusing on the topics of memory representation and commemoration, creative protest possibilities, and involving children and teenagers in urban planning and public dialogue. Curator of exhibitions of contemporary art, author and coordinator of educational projects, workshops, and lectures in Ukraine, Germany, and Poland. From 2018 – participant of “Variable name” art-group. Resident within the Gaude Polonia scholarship, Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland (2018), resident within the artistic residential program in WRO art center, Wroclaw, Poland (2019).
Facebook-account: https://www.facebook.com/valeriia.karpan
Website: http://culturalgeographies.org.ua/en/
Libereco
Libereco is an independent German-Swiss NGO dedicated to the protection of human rights in Belarus and Ukraine. They are advocating for people who are persecuted because of their political or civic commitment, publicizing cases of human rights violations and supporting the forces of a free and independent civil society in both countries. Libereco works closely, and on an equal footing, with Belarusian and Ukrainian organizations.
Website: https://www.lphr.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LiberecoPHR
Cultural Geographies aims to raise a sense of local identity and enhance cultural diversity, creating urban and regional narratives through various cultural activities. Working with communities, we are trying to develop their potential by reconnecting people with city spaces. Our focus is participatory urban practices, art interventions, education and inclusion.
The organisation was founded by four young women who are dealing with integration of marginalised categories of population into urban planning. Initiative developed into NGO, which are working with critical pedagogy, social oriented art and researchers. Organisation seeks to promote the development of civil society by strengthening the impact of the cultural sector and community interaction at regional, national and international levels. All projects of our organisation based on ideas of cultural diversity, bottom-up structures, horizontal cooperation. Cultural Geographies aims to raise a sense of local identity and enhance cultural diversity, creating urban and regional narratives through various cultural activities.
Working with local communities, we are trying to develop their potential by reconnecting people with city spaces. Our primary focus is participatory urban practices, art interventions, and research of cities, their histories and evolving complexities.
