Between October 15th and 21th of 2020 I attended an online training course of the European Project named „In My Art“. This online training was led by two youth trainer of the non-governmental organization ,,Per esempio“ from Palermo in Italy. 14 young people and adults participated from different European countries, such as France, Italy, Greece, U.K., Spain and Germany. Due to the situation of COVID-19 the whole meeting was a virtual based course, which had no effect on the intensity of its’ content-related and personal aspects.
I was kind of excited, because I didn´t know how this form of training would look like. Firstly, it was new for me to interact with people I did not know and secondly it was an art-based training, therefore for me it seemed to be an impossible mission to do this online. We started at 9.30 a.m. on October 15th. I was sitting in my office with my Ipad on my desk, hoping my Internet connection would stay stable and wondering how I would overcome my insecurity in front of people that I didn´t know. A group of different people from Europe were sitting in front of their. The youth trainer started to introduce herself. It started with a little round, where every participant had to introduce herself. Then it continued with the question ,,what is art for us”. Some showed pictures of things they admired, others showed a drawn picture, or a sketch. According to the fact that I love colors and paintings that build a special atmosphere, I spontaneously chose the painting „the open window“ by Henri Matisse, from 1905. In other sequences we got some imagination exercises like describing a picture with only one word. We started to “break the ice” step by step, led by ourselves. Here actually it started to get really interesting for me: Imagination. All the exercises had the purpose to improve our focus on our own creative potential. Then the participants were divided into different little groups to deal with different tasks in a shared environment which was an opportunity for personal exchange. On the third day some participants had the possibility to present something of their own. One started to read her poem, and another showed his song played on a guitar.

For me it was a wonderful experience to get know the others better. Being in a group where everybody gives personal insight of herself, was a very precious and meaningful experience for me. Together we created a safe-space with clear rules and nice behavior, that were unspoken and came from our own. It was wonderful to be in a group where everybody respected and accepted each other. This experience showed me how an intersectional society can be created by single individuals who coexist together by accepting oneself without being directive.
“Arte migrante“ is an activity characterized by its’ purpose to create intersectional societies though art and to improve one´s creative potential. I think this approach is well chosen in the work with young people. I believe that in every one of us you can find an artist who needs to be empowered and wants to rise. Art is the way in which we see the world and we are connected to the world. It determines the way we feel, act, think and communicate. Especially in the time when we are on our way to become adults, an art-based youth work can improve the self-reflection and the will to explore oneself. Everything starts with something small. A little flower seed that starts to grow to become a wonderful flower. So, I see this workshop as a wonderful journey with other people on my way to become a better me.