Birmingham Friends of the Earth are running an art competition to highlight the issue of Climate Refugees, and Peace Hub is delighted to be one of the venues where a winning artwork will be displayed.
Birmingham Friends of the Earth (BFoE) explain:
“We are launching this art competition to try and encourage people to empathise with the experiences of those affected by climate change – particularly forced migration. We hope that by encouraging everyone to get creative and do something different, we can open up a new dialogue around the subject”
Both Climate Justice and Refugees Welcome are themes that have been explored here at the Hub, and this competition brings the two topics together. Currently, people who have had to flee their homes because of the devestating effects of climate change, and seek santuary in another country are not considered refugees by international law – Friends of the Earth want this to change.
The UN Refugee Convention was written in the aftermath of the second world war, when the international community was understandably focussed on people forced to flee from war zones or repressive regimes. Today, climate change is becoming another important factor in forced migration, and by 2020 there will potentially be 50 million people displaced from their homes by environmental changes. Read more on the BFoE website.
The Home Matters art competition asks you to:
“broadly examine the relationship between person and home, explore/empathise with the loss of home, or more specially regard ‘climate refugees.’ We ask you to be as creative as you can, exploring deeply your connection with the subject and producing a piece that exhibits the emotions that result from this exploration.”
The competition is open to 3 age categories, to allow all ages and abilities to enter: 5-11 years, 12-17 years and 18+. There will be three winners from each category, which will then each be displayed at a different venue around Birmingham – and Peace Hub is delighted to be one of the venues!
Read the guidelines and find out how to enter.
Deadline for entering is 6th May. Good luck!