Project duration: 01.02.26 - 31.07.27
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.”
We are happy to announce that the project Sanctuaries: Tracing Peace and Community through Art has begun.
Within this transnational Creative Europe cooperation project, together with partners from Greece and Serbia, we will explore the idea of “sanctuary” as a space of peace, safety, memory and community.
Through artistic workshops, creative laboratories, four mini-exhibitions and an international meeting in Greece, the project will bring together migrant, refugee, Roma and local communities to co-create new works in photography, poetry, music and performance.
Our goal is to support inclusive cultural participation, strengthen intercultural dialogue, give space to community voices and create moments of healing, storytelling and shared imagination through art.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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