Pass the Crayon

"Volunteering gives me a sense of empowerment and joy in creating change..": Pass the Crayon volunteer, Babi Paul, explains what volunteering means to her, and why EVERYBODY should do it!

I have always been very fond of children, and I have to gather a lot of strength and courage to not break down when I think about what those little innocent faces have been through at such a young age. 

But No. To my surprise, from the moment I went to my first Pass the Crayon art workshop (at the refugee shelter in Spandau), there wasn’t a second when I wasn't smiling, for these children were full of life and happiness. 

What I’ve learnt is that each child is different: the more we pay attention to the art that they're developing, the more we can learn about the kind of life they’ve experienced before reaching Europe. 

"What I’ve learnt is that each child is different: the more we pay attention to the art that they're developing, the more we can learn about the kind of life they’ve ex...

Tree House? Sky Scraper? Circular curved thingy? The kids imagined some crazy structures in this weeks Architectural Design Workshop at the Pankow refugee shelter.

At Pass the Crayon we are always encouraging the children to let their imaginations run wild and explore the limits of their creativity (Clue: there are no limits!). This week we wanted to apply this technique to a new area: Architecture.

The aim of this workshop, hosted by volunteers Jeanne and Nicholas, was to challenge conventional beliefs of what a house looks like. We all have that generic housey design in our mind, right? ===>

Well, we wanted to smash this stereotype, and encourage the kids to imagine something more like this:

And they certainly didn't disappoint!  Some kids favored a very modern look...

Whilst others opted for a more rustic feel!

The imagination on display was impressive. What was also lovely to see was the overwhelming emphasis on Family occurring in most of the children's designs. As you ca...

Part 2 of Niamh's story: Pass the Crayon volunteer, Niamh, shares her thoughts and impressions from our movie-making workshop series, held at the Pankow refugee shelter.

WEEK 3: OSCAR NIGHT IN PANKOW.

Last week, I gave you all a run through of our PTC film-making workshop so far, in which a professional film director ran a three-part workshop series on shooting your own small film.

Last week, the kids got the chance to get in front of the camera and make their stories come to life, and this week, the finished movie clips are ready to be admired and critiqued by a 30 person strong panel of excitable judges. Each film had its own unique style, a great sense of fun, exuberance and a plentiful array of guns! Enjoy.

MOVIE 1: HEXCITING DRAMA!

The first film is a tale of betrayal, witchcraft and resurrection from the dead from a group of tiara and tutu-clad actresses who jump around animatedly and cast their hexes upon similarly flamboyant enemies.

Their victims immediately drop to the floor, app...

Part 1 of Niamh's story: Niamh describes her volunteering experience with Pass the Crayon in which she helps host a film-making workshop for the kids at the Pankow refugee shelter.

Pass the Crayon brings together art lovers, experts, novices and curious minds from all over the world to share their enthusiasm for creativity with refugee children and teenagers who have recently arrived in Berlin.

Via the creative process, Pass The Crayon helps to nurture a sense of creative curiosity, emotional articulation and self-expression- all important and often undervalued forms of developmental learning. 

Pass the Crayon currently hosts art workshops at three different refugee shelters in Berlin, providing their young audience with a creative outlet and a chance to learn new skills; from lino-cutting and cartoon storyboarding, to our latest venture…  shooting a film!

WEEK 1: PUPPIES, NINJAS & NETTO.

It’s a crisp autumnal Saturday afternoon and the quiet streets of North Berlin are rustl...