Kayani Project hosted an “Advocacy Through Art” Workshop by Sabine El Zein on Oct. 22 to shed light on the importance of art in fighting for change.
The workshop was part of the Helme Helmak initiative, which strives to support individuals who have been marginalized by their communities. The initiative motivates these people to transform waste into art forms that reflect their needs, dreams, and desires.
After setting the session’s schedule, El Zein endeavored to break the ice between participants and help them discover each other’s personalities. She encouraged them to describe themselves and their dreams as well as talk about issues they would like to solve and categories of people they would like to help.
Next, El Zein proceeded by introducing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which were set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. Participants were asked to choose an SDG that they felt related the closest to their dreams and the groups of people they would like to help.
The aforementioned served to spread awareness regarding the SDGs and avoid the marginalization of certain communities when it comes to achieving them. Consequently, the youth will feel like they are included in the solution, inspiring them to advocate for the causes they believe in.
El Zein and the participants then engaged in a discussion regarding the importance of advocacy through art. They concluded that art is a universal language that allows viewers to visualize certain thoughts and ideas that could not have been explained through words or other forms of communication.
Following their discussion, El Zein introduced an activity entitled “What Might Happen.” The main purpose behind it was to create art that depicted the changes that would occur if a certain problem was solved and an SDG was achieved, such as ending world hunger.
The goal was not to merely describe a problem, but to foster a sense of hope within the viewers’ subconscious. In turn, this would inspire them to adopt actions that make the world a better place, one step at a time.