The collaboration between EMST and Special Secretariat for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors of the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum continues with another artistic workshop focusing on inclusion, titled “The Alphabet of Acceptance”.
A group of teenage refugees who live in Kinoniko EKAV’s Reception Centers for Unaccompanied Minors and of the Society for the Care of Minors, which are under the supervision of the National Education Agency, and a group of students from the 1st model senior high school of Athens – Gennadeio met at EMΣT in order to participate together in an artistic workshop, based on EMΣT’s temporary exhibition Statecraft.
Following a selection of artworks from the exhibition, the teenagers discussed and exchanged views on topics such as: immigration, human rights, freedom of movement, acceptance and exclusions, violence, nationalisms, national and individual identity. Then, using artistic means of expression and ideas that the artworks inspired, they collaborated in pairs to create a group artwork: “The Alphabet of Acceptance”.
The collaboration between EMST and Special Secretariat for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors of the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum is realized in the framework of the EMST Without Borders programme.
The title of the workshop is a paraphrase of the title of Daniela Ortiz’s artwork The ABC of Racist Europe.
MOMENTS - Through the eyes of adolescences
Ali: “Equality is what happens here, it’s that you sit next to me and we share the same things.
Love and respect is the only way to keep us in the same boat, the boat without love and respect sinks.”
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Faizal: “I had never visited a similar place before. I really enjoyed meeting new people and doing interesting things.
I felt that I entered Greek society. Such activities help us integrate into society.”
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Hadid: “It was very beautiful and the time passed pleasantly.
In the action with the children from the Greek school I had a little difficulty with the language.
I will try to improve my Greek, to be more comfortable next time”.
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Mohamed: “I’m happy after all this. I liked that we met children from Greece and talked with them about immigration issues.”
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Alexandra: “Even the very gap caused by the different languages, can be perceived in part as a common experience
that strengthens familiarity. Thus, collaboration is not only undermined by the lack of a common language code,
but may even be facilitated since group members automatically bond over something in common, their diversity.”
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