Art For Change 2026 Showcase

Listen to our Art For Change youth leaders presenting their arts-based responses to social issues & heed their calls to civic action.
About this Event

Witness the Power of "Artivism". Champion Children and Young People. Inspire Regional Change.

Come and hear from an extraordinary, intercultural Art For Change cohort of young people from Young At Art, Algochak, Women Of Colour Belfast as well as from Belfast and surrounding areas who will present the bold creative solutions they develop during our Summer Programme to transform community anxiety into civic resilience.

Using the globally acclaimed, Harvard-endorsed FIDS (Feel-Imagine-Do-Share) methodology from the Design for Change movement which has empowered over 2 million children across 70+ countries—these inspiring young people having spent an intensive week co-creating multidisciplinary art, digital media, and performances alongside industry experts will take the stage to share their stories of change with the public.

This showcase serves as the official regional evaluation track for the Northern Ireland delegation for the upcoming Be The Change Summit in Athens, Greece (November 26–29, 2026). One exceptional youth cohort will earn the historic opportunity to represent their country as national delegates at the global gathering to presente their solutions alongside peers from over 30 countries.

Art For Change is delivered in partnership with Arts Council Northern Ireland and the Performance Without Barriers research group at SARC: Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Sound and Music, Queen’s University Belfast School of Arts, English and Languages.

Why This Showcase is Unmissable:

• You can support youth leaders: Listen directly to the presentations and view creative pieces designed by vulnerable, minoritised, and cross-community childen and young people tackling issues impacting their lives.
• You can share project feedback: Join local arts, community sector, business, academic and political leaders respond to the —connecting grassroots youth recommendations directly to real-world policy frameworks
• You can nurture social cohesion: Connect with a cross-sector network of school principals, artists, youth workers, researchers, and change-makers dedicated to trauma-informed community development and peacebuilding.

Watch our 2024 Celebratio to get a taste of what you will experience!

The programme is led by Juanita Rea, Visiting Scholar at the School of Arts, English and Languages, founder of eduSOIL and Director of Design For Change NI, South Africa and Sudan in collaboration with Prof Franziska Schroeder founder of Performance Without Barriers research group at SARC, the Centre For Interdisciplinary Research in Sound and Music at QUB.

Since 2011 eduSOIL has supported 16,000 people in 12 countries. Since 2023, Art For Change has been delivered in NI partnership with Design For Change Global and with support from Arts Council Northern Ireland and Queen's University Belfast School of Arts, English and Languages (AEL)and the Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility Directorate.

Tickets by donation with proceeds supporting the delivery of the Art For Change Summer Programme, July 6th - 10th. Your donation helps eduSOIL CIC deliver this programme at no cost to young people joining through organisational partnerships and by suggested donation to public participants, while having no core funding since August 2025 and being completely volunteer-led.