On October 26, the study session Arts, Rights & Papers—arranged by Human Rights Education Youth Network (HREYN) in cooperation with Amsterdam City Rights—presented the art exhibition ”Painting the Sky”. 
Overlooking the skyline of Budapest at the European Youth Centre, participants of the session shared artwork made in collaboration with undocumented youth, asking questions such as: “Are the rights of undocumented people respected?” and “What can we do?”.

 This art exhibition is part of the second and final phase of a project organised in cooperation with the Youth Department of the Council of Europe, which aimed to gather young artists, activists and human rights workers to develop their skills in using arts for raising awareness of the human rights of undocumented youth. The first session took place in May, and was followed by a project phase where participants created artworks aiming to amplify the voices of undocumented people. 

Both sessions offered participants the possibility to reflect on topics such as the rights of undocumented youth, how to use the power of art in activism, and how to create respectful narratives when talking to/about disadvantaged groups. We also discussed the role of intersectionality, as undocumented people are more than people without certain papers—of course, they are their own individuals with different identities and dreams. 

 The study session was also a good place to address how important it is for undocumented youth to have the full ownership of their stories—and that no matter at which level, if we want to advocate for a group it is important that they are truly represented. In the second phase the group did not only look back to what they did and learned, but also had the chance to participate in a guest workshop on Roma heroes, organised by Independent Theatre Hungary. This group has experience in amplifying the voices of Roma people, who face discrimination and are sometimes denied national status. This workshop contributed to the understanding of which factors affect the access to rights and papers.

 The final art exhibition was the product of many weeks of work that followed the first study session. During this time, participants met their local organisations and had interviews with undocumented or former undocumented people. Between the first and the second study session, there were also monthly opportunities to also meet online and share experiences and reflect on the work we could do.

 For more information consult the dedicated webpage