SMART art - Creating Amity through Art in Turkey

The SMART art project benefited over 400 children and adolescents, bringing them together to learn from each other and allowing them to express their feelings through art. They produced 10 colourful murals around the town creating interest in the communities and raising visibility of the project which provided an opportunity for cross-cultural interaction between the refugee and host communities.

The beneficiaries in the project have gained confidence, improved understanding of each others’ cultures and become more productive through education and community activities.

Sami was one of the participants. After three years in Turkey, Sami still longed to return home. He said: “My friends have changed; they’re not the same since we left Syria. We’ve all had to change.”

“I’m not good at meeting new people. I prefer to stay at home and read books, learn and play video games.

Then he joined the SMART art project where he could meet other teenagers and learn to paint. “I really wanted to come,” he says. “I saw new faces and learned new opinions. I listened to others’ experiences about the war, and they listened to me… I discovered I wasn’t always right.”

During his time in the project Sami stood out as an articulate and impassioned advocate for refugee youth and his outspoken support for education and youth empowerment earned him recognition at the first World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in May 2016. He was the youngest member of a panel discussion and spoke about the challenges facing refugee youth while also expressing his hopes for youth in building a better future.

“If (the international community) really wants to help us, they need to get closer to youth to see what we really want. They need to listen to us.”

Now, Sami dreams of becoming a doctor and he’s well on his way: He is continuing his education despite the interruptions and upheaval he’s endured.