Paint the Change Europe

Over the last two years, Paint the Change has run a series of street-art workshops tackling issues of inequality, racism and diversity with young people in the UK, Greece and Serbia, supported by the Creative Europe programme. These workshops encouraged teenagers to use art and creativity for social activism, offering them a safe space to exchange thoughts, ideas and concerns on various social and political issues. Each workshop series culminated in the creation of a mural raising whatever issue the young participants decided on in their discussions and creative activities.
Below, we share the results of our workshops in Serbia and Greece, facilitated by our partners Fond B92 and Impact Hub Athens.

Serbia

SUBOTICA

A mural with the message "Attitude in the making" has been painted on the wall of the Polytechnic School in Subotica, Serbia, as part of the international "Paint The Change” project, facilitated in Serbia by Fond B92.

Students in third and fourth year at the Polytechnic School participated in the making of the mural with the help of renowned street artists Marko Stanković and Dejan Stojšić.

"When we saw that these students wanted change, we immediately agreed to participate in this project. We will always give a chance to the youth, the world stays with them ", said Marko Stanković.

The participants wanted to raise the issue of intergenerational misunderstandings, specifically that the elderly measure success based on financial gain, while young people think that such an outlook on life limits creativity and freedom.

"Older people do not understand young people, we are quite excluded from everything and we want to change that and change the future for the better," said Valentina Solar, a student at the Polytechnic School.

BELGRADE

Students from four Belgrade high schools joined forces to create a mural for the wall surrounding the Belgrade Philological Gymnasium. The pupils attended a two-day Paint the Change street art workshop where they were encouraged to use creativity as a tool for activism and to express their thoughts and concerns about their society and communities.

They had the opportunity to talk to lecturers Aleksandar Weizner, Dušan Čavić and Dušan Šaponja (Marka žvaka) and Petar Popović (Piros) about actions individuals can take to tackle social issues, the role of video in social activism and how street art relates to social issues.

Through these conversations, the students decided on a topic for their mural. They wanted to point out the pressures of everyday life by using a slogan ("Are you coming?”) that asks passers-by if they are able to achieve everything that is asked of them, prompting them to reflect on whether they need to rest more and take time for themselves. Renowned street artists Marko Stanković and Dejan Stojšić helped paint the mural.

The mural is situated in Belgrade, near the market on Zeleni venac and close to an international bus station, guaranteeing a large and diverse footfall.

VRANJE

Pupils of the elementary school "Svetozar Markovic" in Vranje had the opportunity to attend a two-day street-art workshop with local artist Stefan Stojanovic (Sles). The students wanted to draw attention to financial disparities between pupils at school, and the bullying or marginalisation that could came as a consequence of those differences.

The mural, situated in the centre of the school ground, aims to portray the school as a training ground, a space of equal access to knowledge and education, and a space of sharing thoughts and information – a space of dialogue that can lead to change and a reduction of these material and social gaps.

Greece

ATHENS

In Greece, 90 young people contributed to designing three murals for the city of Athens, involving three local schools and two refugee shelters across four workshops facilitated by our partners Impact Hub Athens. The overwhelming response from the participants was that they wanted to raise awarness of the climate crisis, and express their frustration at older generations’ lack of concern for this issue.

"Don't Wonder, Do" - @bassmentrats - 41st High School of Athens, Kypseli

“My World (or places and memories soon to be forgotten if we don't protect our natural heritage)” - @inoexpo - Neighbourhood of Monastiraki, Athens

“At the River (or places and memories soon to be forgotten if we don't protect our natural heritage from greedy, disgusting people)” - @o_taxis - Panormou Str Athens