Stepping beyond our social bubbes and creating a community: The story of the STAR 2.0 Pilot in Jablonec nad Nisou (Czech Republic)
June 2026 marks the conclusion of the STAR 2.0 pilot art-creation activities in the Czech Republic, bringing to an end several months of collaboration, study and creative exploration between young people, children and youth workers. The pilot gave the participants the opportunity to shape a public artwork while strengthening their sense of belonging to the local community.
The pilot activities took place between January and June 2026. In line with the project’s core idea, participants were involved throughout the entire process and encouraged to express and develop their own ideas and opinions, from the introductory meeting to the design of the mural that became part of Jablonec nad Nisou.
The pilot represented an important moment for the project, although it was not without its challenges. One of the main complexities was bringing together three very different organisations, each working with distinct target groups: Kruháč, which works primarily with Roma children and young people; Krajanka, which supports Ukrainian migrants; and Vikýř, a local youth centre engaging young people from across the city.
While these organisations were aware of one another, they had never truly collaborated, and there was very little interaction between the different communities they served. Building trust and establishing a shared vision required time, regular meetings, and a series of participatory workshops.
In the end, however, what initially seemed to be the greatest challenge became the project’s greatest achievement. One of the most rewarding outcomes was seeing the three organisations work together to co-create a shared piece of public art and celebrate it as a single community.
The video of the opening ceremony, available here, captures in images what words can only partly convey: a unique and inspiring journey that laid strong foundations for future collaboration and lasting relationships between the participating communities.
Taking a closer look at the pilot action, the journey began in January with a series of creative workshops introducing participants to the world of street art. Through activities such as mosaic-making, stencil painting, and collaborative design exercises, participants developed their artistic skills while creating mural concepts on cardboard that would later inspire the final artwork.
A couple of months later, in April, participants attended a workshop where they designed and produced promotional posters to inform the local community about the project, the upcoming activities and the events taking place in the city. Later that month, they met Chemis, the street artist guiding the group, who introduced the basics of spray-painting techniques and demonstrated how to use spray paint safely. While some participants practised these techniques, another group explored the legality of street art and artistic expression in public spaces.
After these preparatory workshops, children and young people began to get to the heart of the project by collaboratively and democratically identifying the location for the future mural. The choice of the wall emerged through discussion among participants and reflected their own preferences, ensuring they played an active role in the decision-making process. This process also took into consideration the views of the local community: participants engaged in conversations with residents, exploring their opinions on street art and asking how they would feel about having a mural in their neighbourhood.
At this stage, it was time to design the mural. In May, guided by Chemis, participants first created and practised their own tags before putting their ideas and proposals for the final mural onto paper. After identifying three possible themes and discussing them together, they developed individual concepts, which Chemis later combined into a first draft of the artwork.
And finally came the last workshop, which focused on defining the mural’s final theme and visual concept. Participants worked on the draft prepared by Chemis, which featured a chain composed of individual beads, each representing a participant, their organisation or their city, by designing their own bead. In doing so, they reflected on how they wanted to be represented in the mural and shared the meaning behind their creations during a group discussion. The workshop concluded with a collective review of each design, deciding together how to incorporate them into the final artwork while ensuring it reflected the group’s shared vision.
Alongside the collaborative mural co-created by the participants, the pilot also resulted in a remarkable artwork by Chemis. Inspired by the project’s core values, the mural carries the message: “True mutual understanding only arises when we step out towards others.” It encourages passers-by to move beyond their own “social bubbles” and embrace dialogue, understanding, and inclusion. More than a work of art, it is an invitation to rethink how we relate to one another and how stronger, more resilient communities are built when people connect across differences.
Its impact, however, extends far beyond its artistic value. Located in a prominent area of the city, the mural and its gradual creation process became a powerful community engagement tool. Throughout its development, local residents, businesses, and passers-by regularly stopped to observe the work, ask questions, and engage in conversations with the artist and the young participants. These spontaneous interactions sparked curiosity about the project, attracted new participants to the activities, and fostered meaningful dialogue around its themes of inclusion and community building.
The mural was painted on a private building that hosts a small independent bookshop, already recognised as an important cultural meeting point within the city. By transforming the building into a vibrant public artwork, the project further strengthened its role as a space for exchange and discussion. The mural also attracted considerable attention from local media, featuring in several newspapers and significantly increasing the visibility of both the project and its underlying message.
As a result, the artwork has become much more than a project output or a visual landmark. It stands as a lasting legacy of the pilot: a place for dialogue, a symbol of collaboration across diverse communities, and a communication tool that will continue to promote inclusion and community engagement well beyond the project’s lifetime.
At this stage, it was time to design the mural. In May, guided by Chemis, participants first created and practised their own tags before putting their ideas and proposals for the final mural onto paper. After identifying three possible themes and discussing them together, they developed individual concepts, which Chemis later combined into a first draft of the artwork.
And finally came the last workshop, which focused on defining the mural’s final theme and visual concept. Participants worked on the draft prepared by Chemis, which featured a chain composed of individual beads, each representing a participant, their organisation or their city, by designing their own bead. In doing so, they reflected on how they wanted to be represented in the mural and shared the meaning behind their creations during a group discussion. The workshop concluded with a collective review of each design, deciding together how to incorporate them into the final artwork while ensuring it reflected the group’s shared vision.
Alongside the collaborative mural co-created by the participants, the pilot also resulted in a remarkable artwork by Chemis. Inspired by the project’s core values, the mural carries the message: “True mutual understanding only arises when we step out towards others.” It encourages passers-by to move beyond their own “social bubbles” and embrace dialogue, understanding, and inclusion. More than a work of art, it is an invitation to rethink how we relate to one another and how stronger, more resilient communities are built when people connect across differences.
Its impact, however, extends far beyond its artistic value. Located in a prominent area of the city, the mural and its gradual creation process became a powerful community engagement tool. Throughout its development, local residents, businesses, and passers-by regularly stopped to observe the work, ask questions, and engage in conversations with the artist and the young participants. These spontaneous interactions sparked curiosity about the project, attracted new participants to the activities, and fostered meaningful dialogue around its themes of inclusion and community building.
The mural was painted on a private building that hosts a small independent bookshop, already recognised as an important cultural meeting point within the city. By transforming the building into a vibrant public artwork, the project further strengthened its role as a space for exchange and discussion. The mural also attracted considerable attention from local media, featuring in several newspapers and significantly increasing the visibility of both the project and its underlying message.
As a result, the artwork has become much more than a project output or a visual landmark. It stands as a lasting legacy of the pilot: a place for dialogue, a symbol of collaboration across diverse communities, and a communication tool that will continue to promote inclusion and community engagement well beyond the project’s lifetime.
Chemis’ involvement also builds on the legacy of the original STAR (STreet ARt for Social Inclusion) project, whose mural on social inclusion gained international recognition by ranking 4th Best Mural Worldwide in the Street Art Cities ranking for November 2021. Building on this success, STAR 2.0 continues to transform street art into a practical tool for participation, dialogue and social inclusion across Europe.
Throughout the entire journey, participants were encouraged to express their ideas, experiment creatively, and gradually take ownership of the project by becoming active contributors to both the decision-making process and the design of the artwork. Rather than focusing solely on the production of a mural, the pilot placed particular emphasis on the collaborative process itself.
Participation evolved differently across the various groups involved. While some participants engaged more consistently than others, the process created opportunities for new people to join organically along the way. Several local young people who first encountered the project during public activities later became some of its most committed participants, demonstrating the value of creating open and accessible entry points for community involvement. The workshops fostered independent thinking, freedom of expression, collaboration and collective discussion, while also highlighting the importance of engaging local residents throughout the process to ensure that the final artwork genuinely reflected and belonged to the community.
Perhaps the most significant outcome was the gradual development of a sense of collective ownership. As trust grew between organisations that had never previously collaborated and between participants from different cultural and social backgrounds, the mural increasingly became their project rather than the project. This experience showed that meaningful participation is not achieved simply by involving people in individual activities, but by creating the conditions for them to learn together, assume responsibility, and gain the confidence to lead similar initiatives in the future. In this sense, the mural was not only the final outcome of the pilot, but also the visible expression of the relationships, skills and sense of community that had been built throughout the journey.
Stay tuned to see what else STAR 2.0 is creating!
Throughout the entire journey, participants were encouraged to express their ideas, experiment creatively, and gradually take ownership of the project by becoming active contributors to both the decision-making process and the design of the artwork. Rather than focusing solely on the production of a mural, the pilot placed particular emphasis on the collaborative process itself.
Participation evolved differently across the various groups involved. While some participants engaged more consistently than others, the process created opportunities for new people to join organically along the way. Several local young people who first encountered the project during public activities later became some of its most committed participants, demonstrating the value of creating open and accessible entry points for community involvement. The workshops fostered independent thinking, freedom of expression, collaboration and collective discussion, while also highlighting the importance of engaging local residents throughout the process to ensure that the final artwork genuinely reflected and belonged to the community.
Perhaps the most significant outcome was the gradual development of a sense of collective ownership. As trust grew between organisations that had never previously collaborated and between participants from different cultural and social backgrounds, the mural increasingly became their project rather than the project. This experience showed that meaningful participation is not achieved simply by involving people in individual activities, but by creating the conditions for them to learn together, assume responsibility, and gain the confidence to lead similar initiatives in the future. In this sense, the mural was not only the final outcome of the pilot, but also the visible expression of the relationships, skills and sense of community that had been built throughout the journey.
Stay tuned to see what else STAR 2.0 is creating!