“STAR 2.0 is not a destination, but a way of getting there”: A journey of street art, people and shared spaces
Like small charms on a beautiful necklace, each moment of this event was unique and precious, yet connected to all the others by the same thread.
The STAR 2.0 project was built around the idea of using street art as a tool for inclusion and participation. After four days of sharing experiences, stories and lessons from the different pilot phases, the international meeting in Lisbon reaffirmed just how powerful this tool can be in bringing young people and communities together.
From 7 to 12 September, the project partners — EPMA, the project coordinator, SAMA, CLUBE, the Municipality of Reggio Emilia and ALDA — together with youth workers from the different countries involved, had the opportunity to come together in Lisbon, kindly hosted by CLUBE, to share experiences, exchange perspectives and, above all, reflect on the different pilot phases carried out over the previous months.
From pilot experiences to shared lessons
During the first day, the youth organisations had the opportunity to share and reflect on the different stages of their pilot activities through an exercise called “River Flow”. Bringing experiences from the different territories were FlyZone Santa Croce Lab, Spazio Raga, Orti - Casa di Quartiere and SD Factory Lab from Italy; AM Geração com Futuro, AM Bairro Horizonte and Casa da Juventude do Beato from Portugal; VoorUit from Amsterdam, the Netherlands; NZDM Kruháč (Diakonie Jablonec nad Nisou) from the Czech Republic.
The experiences they brought to Lisbon were rooted in pilot activities that had also involved local authorities in the respective territories, including the Municipality of Jablonec nad Nisou in the Czech Republic, Amsterdam Nieuw-West in the Netherlands, the Municipality of Reggio Emilia in Italy – also a project partner – and Junta de Freguesia do Beato in Portugal. This local involvement contributed to strengthening the connection between youth-led activities, local communities and the public spaces at the heart of the project.
Through the “River Flow” exercise, each group represented its journey as a river, using images and symbols to tell the story of what they had experienced: stones along the river, for example, represented the difficulties encountered, while other elements illustrated moments of success, the people involved and the results achieved.
What emerged most strongly was the beauty of the participatory process behind the creation of the different murals: a journey that went far beyond the artworks themselves, helping to create safe spaces where young people could meet, connect, express themselves freely and feel part of something.
In some neighbourhoods, especially at the beginning, overcoming mistrust and bringing people together was not easy. Yet, precisely in those places where gathering people initially seemed most difficult, art gradually managed to bring them closer, transforming that space into a place for meeting and connection.
Street Art as a connection between people and places
During the second day, the youth workers had the opportunity to meet and exchange with two Portuguese artists, namely Tiago Esp and Sepher, sharing their experiences from the pilot phases and, in particular, reflecting on the relationships built with the artists involved in the different territories.
A particularly interesting aspect emerged from the discussion: in many cases, the artists became true community connectors, able to bring young people together and create new connections within the neighbourhoods. But this process also worked in the opposite direction. STAR 2.0 offered the artists themselves an opportunity to reconnect with the neighbourhoods, get to know the people living there and build a different kind of relationship with them through art.
The common thread of the third day could be summed up in one word: “future”. After exploring the importance of keeping the results and impact of STAR 2.0 alive beyond the duration of the European funding, participants had the opportunity to discover some of the Portuguese neighbourhoods involved in the project and learn more about the valuable (and difficult) work that youth organisations carry out every day alongside local communities, despite the many challenges they face.
The day ended in Bairro Horizonte with the inauguration of a beautiful artwork created through a participatory process involving young people from the neighbourhood and the artist Confeere: a butterfly, symbolising transformation and rebirth. An image that tells the story of a neighbourhood in transformation, while also looking beyond it, towards a future that can be increasingly free, creative and colourful.
A special thank you goes to all the artists who took part in this journey — Confeere, Chemis, Juice, Cika Schultz, Nine in the Paint, Psiko Planet, Interno Undici and Alessandro Pagliani — for embracing the spirit of STAR 2.0 and bringing it to life through their art, creativity and connection with the communities involved. Their contribution helped turn walls into spaces for expression, encounter and belonging.
One last moment of sharing
The international event came to an end with the participation in the INFINITO Festival, held in Bairro da Torre, Cascais, where, over eight days, different artists come together to collaborate and leave their mark through new street art pieces.
The youth workers and project partners had the opportunity to walk among the artworks created during previous editions, catch the first glimpses of the shapes and colours of the pieces still being created for this year’s festival, and exchange a few words with the artists at work.
Then came the music, Cape Verdean food and the wonderful atmosphere of the festival, bringing together the STAR 2.0 community, artists, neighbourhood residents and festival participants in a beautiful moment of genuine sharing. Experiences, stories, food, laughter and conversations blended together in an afternoon that only came to an end as the sun disappeared over the horizon.
As our youth workers beautifully put it, STAR 2.0 is not a destination, but a way of getting there. And we hope that “there” is a place where people feel free to express themselves, to meet and connect, to add their own colours, and to feel part of something bigger.