Ásdís Kalman

This subject of this thesis is based on my experience of holding an art workshop in collaboration with the Red Cross and the National Museum of Iceland for young asylum seekers.

 

The workshops were held in the facilities of the Red Cross. The participants were asylum seeker children and youths in the Reykjavík capital area.

 

The project is divided in two parts. The first one is about my previous experience as an artist and teacher. The experiences of those two working fields have been used for constructing the workshops. The second part is about the workshop and the educational theories and pedagogy the project is based on.

 

The objectives of the workshops were threefold:

 

1. To engage young asylum seekers in artistic expression without words (most of the children speak languages other than Icelandic or English).

 

2. Through the exhibition, provide them with the opportunity to exhibit their work during the Children’s Culture Festival.

 

3. Make the children more visible in local society. The hope was that visitors would gain a little insight into the lives of these children and will be interested to learn more about the topic of child asylum seekers. The second wish was that the children themselves would feel empowered with participating.