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Sanctuaries: Tracing Peace and Community through Art

Sanctuaries: Tracing Peace and Community through Art
Project duration: 01.02.26 - 31.07.27

Sanctuaries: Tracing Peace and Community through Art

Sanctuaries: Tracing Peace and Community through Art

Fundacja Jedność, together with the Melissa Network of Migrant Women in Greece (Greece) and the Group for Children and Youth “Indigo” (Serbia), is implementing the international cultural project “Sanctuaries: Tracing Peace and Community through Art” under Creative Europe — European Cooperation Projects. Project No. 101256502.

The project explores the idea of “sanctuary” through art and brings together people with migration and displacement experience and local communities. Through photography, poetry, music, theatre and visual arts, participants become co-creators of artworks, exhibitions and cultural events.

Fundacja Jedność leads the Workshops and Co-Creation Labs strand. In Kraków, we are organising a series of art workshops for young Ukrainians with experience of forced displacement. Over 12 months, 24 days of workshops will be held for a group of approximately 25 young people, using art as a means of self-expression, communication and reflection on their own experiences.

In addition, participants from Kraków will be involved in the project’s international creative processes, while Fundacja Jedność will organise four local mini-exhibitions in Poland presenting the results of their work.

For us, Sanctuaries is an opportunity to create a space where young people can use art to explore questions of home, memory, belonging and safety, encounter other cultures, and become active participants in European cultural life.

Total project value: EUR 237,339.70
European Union funding: EUR 189,783.75
Duration: 18 months
Programme: Creative Europe — European Cooperation Projects

Fundacja Jedność’s own contribution to the implementation of the project is co-financed by the National Freedom Institute – Centre for Civil Society Development (Narodowy Instytut Wolności – Centrum Rozwoju Społeczeństwa Obywatelskiego) under the Government Programme for the Development of Civic Organisations (PROO) for 2018–2030.

PROO co-financing: PLN 28,346.71

Co-financing period: 01.06.2026 – 31.12.2026

“Co-financed by the National Freedom Institute – Centre for Civil Society Development under the Government Programme for the Development of Civic Organisations (PROO) for 2018–2030.”

PROJECT NEWS

25.05.2026

We are delighted to announce that Fundacja Jedność has received co-financing from Narodowy Instytut Wolności – Centrum Rozwoju Społeczeństwa Obywatelskiego to cover the required own contribution to the international project “Sanctuaries: Tracing Peace and Community through Art”!

The project is implemented under the Creative Europe Programme (Culture Strand) in cooperation with organisations from Greece and Serbia.

Its aim is to strengthen intercultural dialogue, social integration and cultural participation among people with migrant and refugee backgrounds. Through photography, poetry, music and performance, participants become co-creators of art, sharing their stories and experiences.

As part of the project, Fundacja Jedność organises art workshops for young people in Kraków, participates in international Creative Labs and organises four mini-exhibitions showcasing participants’ artworks.

Thanks to the PROO co-financing, we can secure the required own contribution and take part in international cultural cooperation.

Programme: Rządowy Program Rozwoju Organizacji Obywatelskich na lata 2018–2030 (PROO), Priorytet 1b

Amount of co-financing: PLN 28,346.71

Total value of the public task: PLN 141,733.47

Date of signing the grant agreement: 13 August 2026

Implementation period of the PROO-funded task: 1 July 2026 – 31 December 2026

Co-financed by Narodowy Instytut Wolności – Centrum Rozwoju Społeczeństwa Obywatelskiego under the Rządowy Program Rozwoju Organizacji Obywatelskich na lata 2018–2030 (PROO).

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

23.06.2026

The first group of artists has already started working within the project Sanctuaries: Tracing Peace and Community through Art.

During the sessions, participants explore the idea of “sanctuary” — not only as a physical place, but also as a feeling of safety, belonging, peace and connection with others.

What makes a place feel safe? Where do we find support in times of change? How can memory, colour, form and personal experience become part of a shared artistic story?

Step by step, the participants are transforming their reflections into new artworks. This process is based on co-creation, dialogue and attentive listening, allowing each person to become not a subject of someone else’s story, but its author.

The works created during the course will become part of the project’s wider artistic programme and future exhibitions.

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

03.08.2026

The second group of artists has started its journey within the project Sanctuaries: Tracing Peace and Community through Art.

We already see how meaningful this process is. The young participants are not only creating artworks during the sessions — they are also initiating their own meetings, sharing artistic discoveries and learning from one another.

In these photos, our young artist Masha invited friends from the group to talk about an artistic insight she had discovered and wanted to share. Her wish was simple and beautiful: to help everyone move in one direction, draw more freely and grow together.

This is what sanctuary means to us: a safe community where every person can bring their voice, talent and imagination.

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union.

10.09.2026

We are happy to share that Fundacja Jedność has received co-financing from NIW-CRSO for our participation in the project Sanctuaries: Tracing Peace and Community through Art, implemented with the support of the Creative Europe programme.

Thanks to this support, we will be able to strengthen the Polish part of the project and continue creating artistic spaces for dialogue, community, peace and inclusive cultural participation.

Sanctuaries is a transnational project connecting partners from Greece, Poland and Serbia, and bringing together migrant, refugee, Roma and local communities through participatory art, storytelling and co-creation.

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union.

Co-financed by the National Freedom Institute – Centre for Civil Society Development under the Government Programme for the Development of Civic Organisations (PROO) for 2018–2030.

13.10.2026

The third group of artists has already started working within the Sanctuaries: Tracing Peace and Community through Art project.

Step by step, the participants are exploring the idea of sanctuary — as a space of safety, peace, belonging, and shared imagination.

Through artistic practice, dialogue, and co-creation, they begin to transform personal reflections into visual stories that will become part of the project's broader process.

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union.

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