Published on April 30, 2026
From Canvas to Climate Action: HRN Intern Reports from Warsaw
April 2026 | International Youth Exchange
Earlier this month, one of Horizon Resource Network’s interns had the opportunity to participate in Art for Change, an international youth project hosted in Warsaw, Poland. The four-day programme, running from 9 to 12 April 2026, brought together nine young women from Poland, Germany, and Slovakia — three participants from each country — to explore the intersection of art, activism, and climate responsibility.
A Gathering of Voices
The project opened with a day of introductions, icebreakers, and an orientation to the programme’s themes. The equal representation of three countries was not incidental: it was designed to ensure that diverse cultural perspectives sat at the heart of every conversation, from opening circle to closing exhibition.
The most ambitious moment came on Day 2, when the project hosted a climate conference attended by roughly 100 college students from Warsaw. Presenters shared perspectives from Germany, Poland, Slovakia, Ghana, and Pakistan, with an additional online speaker joining from India. It was a powerful reminder that climate change is not a single story — it plays out differently in Warsaw, Accra, Karachi, and Hamburg — and that meaningful climate action must be both locally grounded and internationally informed.
Turning Ideas into Proposals
Following the conference, participants formed four working groups, each tasked with developing a practical local climate initiative. The proposals ranged from introducing recycling systems in schools and an afforestation scheme in partnership with local authorities, to a social media campaign for climate education and an awareness drive around responsible water and electricity use. The groups were encouraged to think in terms of what they could actually implement at home — proposals rooted in individual responsibility, community action, and systemic change.
Art as the Medium
Day 3 was dedicated to artistic production, translating the week’s learning into creative outputs. Canvas painting dominated the session, accounting for 60% of all artworks produced. Participants also created poetry, sculpture, crochet pieces, and a “trash board” — a collage constructed from waste materials — each form carrying the project’s environmental message in its own way.
The final day brought everything together at The House of Culture in Warsaw, where the artworks were exhibited publicly. The exhibition was both a showcase and an invitation — opening a dialogue with the broader Warsaw public about environmental responsibility and the role of art in driving social change.
What the Project Demonstrated
Overall, presentations made up the largest share of project outputs at 44%, followed by canvas paintings at 22% and climate action proposals at nearly 15%. These numbers reflect a programme that was as much about building voice and communication skills as it was about artistic creation.
For HRN, participation in Art for Change aligns directly with our work at the intersection of youth empowerment, intercultural dialogue, and civic engagement. Sending an intern into a project like this — one that moves from learning to creating to public advocacy over four days — is precisely the kind of hands-on, international experience we want to support.
We look forward to learning how the experience shapes her work here in Hamburg.
Horizon Resource Network e.V. supports young people through intercultural exchange, civic education, and community-led projects. Learn more about our current programmes and opportunities.
