Our group is called Awareness and Prevention Through Art (aptART). In partnership with ACTED, we organize educational workshops for children affected by the war in Syria who live in host communities and refugee camps in Jordan. Each workshop is led by a local or international artist and results in the creation of a piece of street art made through a collaboration between the artist and children. Workshop themes are based on issues affecting the children such as peace, hope, education and hygiene. The work of the children is then shared with an international audience through exhibitions serving to raise awareness about the issues the children face.

The murals give the children an opportunity to take ownership of shared spaces, have a creative outlet, learn to work together and share their voice with the larger community. The process of painting also allows children to regain the feeling of childhood that has often been lost through displacement and the effects of war. The murals are an effective means of communicating messages because of their lasting presence in the community and their public locations.

So far, aptART and ACTED have worked with over 3,000 children across North Jordan and inside Syria. We have created almost 100 murals and put on four exhibitions. We plan to continue our work by launching a regional project in July 2014 that will bring street art to refugee youth in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.