Agency: Mercy Corps
This project connects both Syrian refugee youths and Turkish youths to enhance life skills through art. The participants of the program created their own individual paintings. They decided together which elements to use and how to create two murals within the community under the guidance of 2 artists, one Syrian and one Turkish. The murals were painted on the Mercy Corp’s community center as well as other local buildings in the area. The murals were put on display to the public and photographs shared through local media reports.
The participants also took part in life skills classes which focused on building self-esteem and community, managing emotions, understanding sex/gender and gender based violence as well as many others.
Through this project the groups increased cross-cultural understanding between the refugees and the host-country participants. It also allowed a medium for children to work out their anxieties, talk about their worries and what is important to them and to express themselves.
Additional information
According to the latest figures at the time, 2 million Syrians had fled to Turkey, more than any other country. More than 50% of all Syrian refugees are children; 1 in 3 being between the ages of 12-18.
