Pass the Crayon

Hey guys, this week we are going to be making Avatars!

(No, not that sort... more like this) ======>

This week's craft is inspired by last Friday's art class at the shelter in Spandau, where we helped the kids make their very own Avatars.

This was a fun and easy craft to do, and the kids really enjoyed experimenting with the colour and design of their personal Avatars.

After they finished making them, the kids spent time writing a profile for their Avatars, and they each created their very own Avatar booklet. 

We ended up running out of materials because a lot of the children wanted to make more than one Avatar, so we suggest bringing a LOT of materials just in case!

This is a really fun and simple craft to make, and the results are a great way of showcasing the diversity of creativity. 

A special thanks to Maeille for designing and organizing such a great activity. We can't wait for next week! <3

You will need:

• Large piece of white Styrofoam

• Coloured felt tips

• Scissors

  ...

They smash gender norms, they challenge entrenched beliefs: Welcome to Day 4 in our 'Refugee Women in Politics' series. Today we are taking a closer look at Özlem Cekic, a Danish-Turkish ex-MP and Muslim, who is confronting racism head-on.

Originally from Ankara, Turkey, Özlem Cekic moved to Denmark as a young child and grew up in Copenhagen. Cekic is one of the first ever Muslim MPs to be elected to parliament in Denmark. 

At 20 Cekic entered a marriage arranged by her parents, but at age 26 she decided to divorce and raise her child alone. She is now remarried and is a passionate advocate for equal rights, having recently been made the government spokesperson for gender equality.

(via her official website)

ON DISCRIMINATION.

Cekic has always spoken up when it comes to racism and racial prejudice within Denmark. In her autobiography 'Fra Føtex til Folketinget' ("From Føtex to Parliament"), Cekic recounts experiences from her early life when she was singled out due to her ref...

They smash gender norms, they challenge entrenched beliefs: Welcome to Day 3 in our 'Refugee Women in Politics' series. Today we are taking a look at the German Marxist theorist and co-founder of International Womens Day, Clara Zetkin.

This is a vintage one, but Clara Ketkin makes our list because she was one of the first ever women in modern day politics to occupy real power within her party. She was a champion of Women's Rights, an amazing public speaker, and her legacy, International Women's Day, has endured for over a century.

Clara Zetkin (1857-1933) was a key figure in the German Marxist movement, and technically became a refugee twice; first when she was exiled to Paris during World War 1, and second when she fled to the USSR at the onset of World War 2.

Zetkin became involved with politics from an early age and was an active member of the women's and labour movement. She later formally joined the Socialist Workers Party, which then transitioned to become the mo...

They smash gender norms, they challenge entrenched beliefs: Welcome to Day 2 in our 'Refugee Women in Politics' series. Today we are profiling Ilhan Omar, the first EVER Somali-American Muslim women, and refugee, to be elected to the House of Representatives.

ILHAN OMAR

Ilhan Omar arrived in the United States aged 12, after having spent the last four years in a Kenyan refugee camp. When she arrived she spoke no English, but she learnt to speak it... in only 3 months!

Yeah I know, pretty amazing right? From the age of 14, Omar would accompany her grandfather to caucus meetings where she acted as his interpreter. 

Although learning the language proved easy for Omar, the sociocultural transition was more of a challenge. In her interview with Time magazine, Omar speaks about the difficulties she and her family faced when moving to America: the myriad cultural adjustments they had to make, and the pervasive sense of judgement she left with regards to her religion.

In Kenya, most o...

No, not the Batman kind- this kind! =======>

Yes, Halloween is just around the corner, so this week we are gifting you with a step-by-step guide to making your very own bat mobile.

This is a slightly more complicated craft than last week, so if you are doing it with small children you can always simplify the process by just making one bat, and maybe leave out the whole mobile part, as it is fiddly widdly woooooo 👻👻

So grab those left over toilet rolls, and the black card, and let's get cackling 🎃

You will Need:

• Paints or felt tips

• A black marker pen

• Black A4 card

• Toilet roll(s)

• String

• Scissors

• A sharp pokey object

• Glue & sellotape

• A chopstick or similar sized wooden stick

Method:

1. Take your toilet roll, and draw on a bat face with your marker pen

2. Next colour in the face with your pens, or paints

3. Take your black paper and draw a large pair of bat wings

4. Cut out the bat wings

5. Attach the wings to your bat body with glue...

They smash gender norms, they challenge entrenched beliefs: Welcome to the first in our 'Refugee Women in Politics' series. Every day this week we will introduce you to a new refugee politician, each of whom has made unique contributions to the fight for gender equality and refugee rights.

THE STATS.

Did you know, that only 8% of global world leaders are female? 8 percent!!! Clearly this is a shame, not only from an intellectual perspective, but from a pragmatic one too. Having an almost all-male cast of world leaders cannot be right or practical, particularly when making decisions that overwhelmingly affect women (eg policies on care-giving, paid maternity leave, sexual & reproductive health, abortions etc). 

From an economic perspective it also makes no sense: It has been revealed through countless studies (take a look at the findings from Catalyst and the NWBC), that gender balance within working environments has consistently posit...

When considering the socially unifying and emotionally catharticimpact Art can have, there a few examples that validate this perception more than the work of Joel Bergner (AKA Joel Artista). Joel is a pioneer of 'community-based public art', and has facilitated hundreds of community murals in some of the most deprived areas of the world.

These beautiful murals, hand-painted by the whole community, tell the story of a collective group of people- their voices amplified through colour, shape and image. In this way, the public mural becomes more than just an inanimate piece of art: it becomes a reflection of the spirit of an entire community.

The profound imagery captured in mural artwork is often the most direct and powerful form of expression these groups have at their disposal. This has particular importance within camp communities where opportunity for creativity and emotional expression is very limited.

​Importantly, t...

Last weekend, Pass the Crayon was invited by OUTLAW.die Stiftung to attend their event 'Mit Sicherheit Gut Ankommen' in Treptow Park, from 29th September to 1st October.  This travelling maritime project ("Schiffsprojekt") began its journey in Norway, before travelling across the North Sea and along the German river systems, to reach its final destination, Berlin, in coincidence with the United Nations World Refugee Day.

The project

The objective of this social-cultural project, aptly named 'Mit Sicherheit Gut Ankommen' (To Arrive Safely), was to help the public engage with the subject of 'flight and migration' from a different angle. The project's agenda is based upon the 'Norderneyer Erklärung', which defines key positions on flight and migration, both generally worded and specifically formulated around the role of child and youth welfare.

The project aimed to draw attention to the situations refugees find themselves in before they decid...

Yesterday I helped with an art workshop at the refugee shelter in Spandau- the activity of the day was... print making! The prints were fun and easy to make (but MESSY), and the results came out really well.

The kids enjoyed it so much that they wanted to keep making more and more prints, so we had to start re-using the backs of pieces of foam. So my two big tips for hosting group print-making workshops are-- bring a LOT of materials. And do NOT not leave the paint rollers unsupervised, because the kids love to squeeze them and get paint all over their hands!

You will Need: 

• x1 white piece of paper

• x1 thin piece of foam

• x1 pen or sharp object

• paints of your choice

• paint rollers (we recommend one for each type of paint)

• paper plates (one per type of paint)

Method:

1. Draw a rough sketch of your design onto the piece of foam.

2. Take your pen (or similar pokey object), and poke/carve your design into the foam along the lines tha...

Last weekend Pass the Crayon attended an event held along the banks of the river Spree, featuring a refugee rescue ship, and 70 copper figurines... This was 'Mit Sicherheit Gut Ankommen', a visionary project which saw artists and refugee initiatives from all over Europe gather together in solidarity with refugees and the welcome culture movement.

The main focus of Mit Sicherheit Gut Ankommen was the celebration of the journey of two ships (first the M/S Anton, and then Al-hadj Djumaa), travelling from Denmark, across the North Sea coast and through Germany, arriving in Berlin for the 'United Nations World Refugee Day'. 70 copper figures from Danish artist Jens Galschiøt were transported on board the vessel, transferring from M/S Anton to Al-hadj Djumaa at Papenburg, Germany. These life-sized bronze-cast figurines, a mixture of men, women and children, provided a bold and powerful representation of refugees in all their forms. 

The fundamental...