MEDIA RELEASE

19th April 2007

MEDIA RELEASE

WELLINGTON YOUTH TO EXPLORE CROSS-CULTURAL CONFLICT THROUGH CREATIVE ARTS

Deputy Mayor Alick Shaw at the Centre for Global Action conference room will officially launch The Babel Project, a creative-arts-based, cross-cultural exploration for youth, on Saturday 21 April.

A Peace Foundation project supported by the Wellington City Council, The Human Rights Commission, Arts Access, and many local business’. Babel is being facilitated by Katrina Baylis (Associate Director of the Peace Foundation Wellington Office, and TV personality from “Insiders Guide” and “Karaoke High”) who is of Palestinian background, and Tal Rogoff of Israeli background.

Katrina and Tal will use their experience as young people from opposite sides of a serious conflict to facilitate an exploration of the forces that push people apart and consider practical approaches to building a peaceful, multicultural and interfaith community.

A six month collaboration, The Babel Project will involve a group of Wellington youth aged 15-30, from varied ethnic backgrounds including Somali, Maori, Greek, Thai, Chinese, Colombian, Austrian, Samoan, Indian, Welsh and Anglo.

“Participants will examine the realities of people living on different sides of current inter-ethnic or inter-religious conflicts and the impact this has on the lives of youth in Wellington” says Ms Baylis.

As part of building Wellington’s future as a tolerant, diverse and multi-cultural society, conflict resolution approaches and reconciliation possibilities will be explored. The use of different artistic techniques and modes of expression will then culminate in a creative art and photographic exhibition of the participants works in September. This includes Painting, sculpture, film, photography, sketching, collage and writing.

Along side the process there is a documentary being filmed, mentored by Robin Greenberg and involving Suite One films. The participants will also be encouraged to share their experiences in their own schools and communities, and aims to encourage and increase the number of multicultural audiences to the viewing.

The Babel Project is part of a growing series of arts based, cross-cultural communication, conflict resolution and awareness programmes being developed and implemented by the Peace Foundation Wellington Office.

For additional information please contact Katrina Baylis Assistant Director/Youth Outreach Coordinator, Peace Foundation, Level 2, James Smith Building, 49-55 Cuba Street

Wellington 03 4969629 / 021607676.