Peer-to-Peer Activity: Artistic Outreach
Overview
Participants begin preparations for a creative community project that requires a cooperative effort and that promotes unity and empathy within the community.
Competencies
- Participants share ideas for creating an interfaith or multicultural art project or hosting an art event.
- Alternatively, they plan to attend an existing event together.
INTRODUCTION
The goal for this activity is twofold: 1) to bring people together to work on a creative project and 2) to create an artistic work that can inspire people to promote unity and empathy for others, particularly minority communities.
ACTIVITY
- Participants make initial plans for completing a creative project in their local communities.
Examples can vary in scope and expertise and may include designing a mural of applicable belief quotes or creating a photo gallery, possibly displayed at a religious building or online.
The faith quotes under the Faith Quotes tab and the link to the United Nation’s Photography 4 Humanity under Resources tab can provide inspiration.
- Participants may expand their reach by considering how they can partner with other faith or minority communities or with public authorities to create and display art that encourages tolerance and understanding within their larger community.
- If it is not possible for participants to organize their own event, they may discuss how they can support an upcoming event or an existing artistic display within their communities. They might make arrangements to attend an event together.
During their planning session, participants may consider the following questions:
- What type of art project or art event will appeal to an interfaith or multicultural community?
- What is the scope and intended audience of the project or event?
- What supplies and tools will be required?
- Is there a way to fund these expenses?
- What is the timeline for the project or event?
- What roles will be assigned to each participant?
- What community or government actors can assist in the project or event?
- Are permits or other permissions required to proceed?
- How can community members be invited to participate?
- How will the event be advertised?
- Where will the project be displayed or the event be held?
- Will there be an admission fee?
- Will the proceeds be designated for a particular purpose?
United Nations Photography 4 Humanity, A display of photographs that depict a variety of images relavent to Commitment VI.
Depending on the scope of the art project or art event, preparations may take place over multiple “Faith for Rights” sessions or may take place outside of the sessions.
If a large project or public event is not possible, participants a) may consider a small-scale project or event for their own faith group, b) may plan a hypothetical project or event to practice the planning process, or c) may attend a current or upcoming event in their own communities. The aim of this peer-to-peer activity is to encourage thinking about how art can promote faith for rights within communities.
Additional tips for all Peer-to-Peer activities:
- The #Faith4Rights modules are flexible and require adaptation by the facilitators before their use. Case studies related to peer-to-peer exercises in the 18 modules need to be selected by the facilitators from within the environment where the learning takes place. The #Faith4Rights toolkit is a prototype methodology that requires contextualization, based on the text of the 18 commitments, context and additional supporting documents.
- Not all issues raised need to be resolved. This would be an impossible and even a counterproductive target. The aim is rather to enhance critical thinking and communication skills, admitting that some questions could receive many answers, depending on numerous factors.
- Tensions may occur during discussions related to “faith” and “rights”. Most of these tensions are due to human interpretations. Learning sessions are spaces for constructive dialogue in a dynamic process where tensions can be reduced with the help of clear methodologies, including pre-emptive situation analysis and evidence of positive results in areas of intersectionality between faith and rights.
- When preparing the sessions, facilitators need to factor in the profile, age and backgrounds of participants. Focused attention on the learning objectives can transform tensions into constructive exploration of new ideas.
- Meaningful engagement requires democratically pre-established rules. Facilitators should dedicate time with participants to elaborate these rules together at the outset and acting all along the training as their custodians.
- The time frames suggested in this #Faith4Rights toolkit are merely indicative. Facilitators may adapt them freely to suit the needs of their group of participants. The key balance is between respecting the overall timeframe while not cutting short a positive exchange momentum.
- To ensure optimal and sustainable benefit, facilitators may create a “training notebook” for participants during their peer-to-peer learning sessions. It would contain a compilation of templates to help participants keep track of what they have learned throughout the programme and eventually use this notebook as their personalised follow-up tool.
- When technically feasible, facilitators are also advised to project the module under discussion on screen in order to alternate between discussions thereon and showing the audio-visual materials listed in each module or any other items selected by the facilitator themselves.
- “Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder. Help someone’s soul heal. Walk out of your house like a shepherd.” (Rumi)
- “Your true character ismost accurately measured by how you treat those who can do ‘Nothin’for you.” (Mother Theresa)