We want to involve children and youth from towns and villages in Lower Silesia region (Poland) to create murals presenting children's rights. In this way we will not only promote children's rights, but we also encourage children and youth to express artistically, to find out more about theirs rights and to become children's rights ambassadors. Plus we will make a map for tourists who visit Lower Silesia region and create a "Children's Rights Mural Trail".

Small towns and villages in Lower Silesia region (southern Poland)

Poland is a country of low civil engagement and low children's and human rights awareness, even in bigger cities, not to mention smaller places. What makes the situation more difficult is the fact that Polish society is very homogeneous (and therefore quite xenophobic), traditional (and therefore people stick to such harmful practices as corporal punishment or patriarchy) and our political situation has been very challenging lately. Our projects aims to activate local communities (mainly children and youth, but when you engage children, their parents and care-givers are engaged as well) to think about children’s and human rights, design and create art works (murals) promoting those rights. (There is also an added value in the project: using art as a tool to start the change.)

Our project is of participatory character. Each of 10 murals will be created in a different town/village and each time 10-15 children and/or youth will design and create it. Each group will first choose which right they want to illustrate, will then design and paint it. A professional street artist (Dariusz Paczkowski from Klamra Foundation) will guide the groups in creating their work. We will hear the voices of the groups (they will be the ones who will decide which children's right is the most important) and will help them to express through art. During the artistic workshops (each group - three days), parents (and other members of local community) will be able to watch the process and talk to the members of our team, find out more about children's rights, make comments and help.

(1) We will launch an open call for groups of children/young people wishing to participate.
(2) We will organize. workshops on children's rights to each of the tens groups of children/youth where they will find out more about their rights and will choose a right they want to illustrate. During workshops parents, care-givers, member of community may help / participate / talk to our team, discuss the project, submit their ideas. We will also distribute our materials (ex. child friendly version of the Convention on Children's Rights).
(3) We will support children and youth in designing and creating a mural.
(4) We will create a map of "Children's Right Mural Trail" for tourists (both domestic and foreign) encouraging them to visit all ten murals in Lower Silesia region.

Our project has a very substantial result: ten participatory murals illustrating (and thus promoting) children's rights.
But what is equally important to us is:
- making young artists (and their families and members of local communities) proud of their work,
- making young artists believe their actions can actually change something,
- winning the liking of local community to participatory actions,
- changing the way local communities see children's rights (as something important),
- attracting tourists (both domestic and foreign) to see murals and find out more about children's rights.

Our idea is based on citizens' engagement and participation. It is the local community members who will design and create murals (we will only act as facilitators and will help to maintain artistic quality). We will try to engage different groups, but that will very much depend on the character of local community, for example in one town we may engage youth with disabilities, in another Roma people (who are a significant minority in southern Poland), in another children from foster care. We are also open to possibility that in one place there will be two murals created if there are many young persons eager to participate in the project (because the group limit for one mural is 15 participants).

This idea is very much in line with what our organization focuses on. Our foundation focuses on three areas: (1) children's rights, (2) social integration of children and youth and (3) education for peace. This projects corresponds to all three areas we expertise in. The mission of our foundation is "to make sure each child and young person's rights are fully secured; each child and young person has safe childhood and adolescence; each child and young person fully belongs to society and community. By education activities we also prepare children and youth to become responsible and ethical citizens who will take care of friendly, safe and just future world".

Art work (remuneration for a coordinating artist + building and creative materials) 20 000 EUR
Travel and hotels 3000 EUR
Coordinator of children rights activities (educating children, workshops, talking to communities, designing map concept) 3000 EUR
Coordinator of formalities (consents for art works in public spaces, formalities of the project, documents) 3000 EUR
Map (design and promotion) 2500 EUR
Promotion and communication 1500 EUR
Accountancy 500 EUR
Overheads 1500 EUR

Any ideas are welcome, especially those which would ensure visibility of the project and empowering participants to become active ambassadors of children's rights after the project is finished.