Amplifying Perspectives in Prague

Throughout 2025, the Prague-based local group of “Empowered by ACTion” explored the intersection of art, language, and self-advocacy. Through a series of workshops titled “Slam Poetry – Your Voice,” young people from various backgrounds turned creative writing into a tool for empowerment.

Organized by our Czech partner OPU (Organization for Aid to Refugees), the project brought together 12 participants from six countries—Ukraine, Russia, Azerbaijan, Syria, Vietnam, and India. The core of the project was a consistent learning process: the group met every two weeks at the Scout Institute in central Prague. This regular rhythm allowed the participants to build a strong sense of community and work steadily on their artistic and personal development.

The bi-weekly sessions followed a carefully designed pedagogical curve, moving from internal mindfulness to external performance. The team of lecturers—Tim Postovit, Hanka Nguyen, Honza Dibitanzl, and Sufian Massalema—brought professional expertise in both literature and social work.

A unique pillar of the project was the inclusion of Barbora Mudrová, a specialist in crisis intervention and nonviolent communication. Her role as a facilitator ensured that the creative space remained safe and that the emotional processes triggered by the writing were professionally supported.

The workshops utilized diverse methods to break down barriers and build resilience:

• Sensory & Body Work: Activities such as “living statues” and blindfolded sensory exercises helped participants ground themselves in the present moment and build trust within the group.
• Value-Based Dialogue: The group actively defined values like respect and solidarity by identifying their antonyms (e.g., “interrupting each other”), creating a concrete framework for their community.
• Transferable Skills: Beyond the artistic realm, the training in rhetoric, stress management, and public speaking was designed to be practical. These skills are intended to support participants in daily life—whether in school exams, job interviews, or public addresses.

For many, the workshops served as an informal laboratory for integration. By playing with the Czech language through rhythm, rhyme, and “substitute naming,” participants moved beyond formal grammar into the “language of emotions.” This allowed them to express complex feelings—from anger and absurdity to love and desire—making the new language truly their own.

The mentors, many of whom navigate multiple cultural identities themselves, demonstrated how to synthesize different values and experiences into a coherent narrative.

The project concluded on November 27, 2025, with a final performance at the Hybernská Campus. Empowerment in this context meant the freedom to choose: while some participants utilized the workshops for private self-growth, a group of six female performers chose to step onto the stage. Sharing their original slam poetry texts with a public audience was a powerful demonstration of courage and the culmination of months of intensive work on their own identities.

The “Slam Poetry – Your Voice” course successfully showed that the combination of creative methods, regular group dynamics, and psychological support is essential in refugee work. By providing the tools to speak up, the project helped participants move from being subjects of a narrative to being the authors of their own stories.