Who, what & why?
We are a group of artists, social and youth workers with diverse artistic, social and management experience. What unites us is the belief that we can make a difference.
Timișoara Refugee Art Festival started in 2017 as a mix of diverse forms of artistic expression, with the purpose of bringing into discussion forced migration at a national and international level, as well as bringing the host community closer to the refugee community. TRAF 2018 builds on the first edition, focusing on the theme of ”Subjectification”, a theme looking to encourage positive models in order to react towards objectification through understanding, empathy and trust.
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Our goal is to create the framework for a constructive dialogue between people, to participate in the creation of solid, responsible and conscious communities, to provide members of these communities with the confidence to engage actively in community life and with a safe space to make their voice heard.
With your contribution, we can stay independent and true to our values. TRAF 2018 will consist of film and music videos screenings, concerts, exhibitions and theatre shows of local and international artists, together with educational activities for children and teenagers and an academic conference.
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Why we need you?
The $ 10.000 budget we are asking you for will cover just about half of the total costs of the festival. Besides this, we already secured funding from various donors and sponsors for an arts camp with 20 young refugees and non refugees, local and national artists performances, the academic and educational section, an international short film selection, location rental and other production costs. So here is how we will spend the money we're asking you for:
$2.000 for theatre, storytelling and visual arts workshops with a group of young refugees and non refugees together.
$3.000 for inviting one or two refugee arts groups from abroad (a theatre group from Berlin and some musicians from EU or Turkey).
$2.000 for production costs - sound, lights and props.
$1.000 for promoting the festival (design, prints and online)
$1.000 for management costs
$1.000 for campaign fees and perks
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We are determined to make this festival happen no matter the costs, that's why we set up a flexible goal campaign. Depending on how much we manage to raise with your support, there will be more events and artists involved in this project. By the way, check out our special perks and make sure you get yours before they run out!
Impact
In 2017, TRAF gathered more than 300 people together as a statement for tolerance, trust, respect and solidarity. Have a glimpse of last year's edition here:
Through your contribution, not only you can help us make this happen, but you also become part of a community that shares these values. The more of us come together, the stronger and more visible we get!
Although TRAF takes place in Timisoara, Romania and it addresses directly only the local community, the previous edition had a high visibility at a national level in Romania and was recommended as a good practice model by the Creative Europe program and by several other partner organizations in Hungary, Bulgaria, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Cyprus and Belgium.
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With your contribution we can make this project relevant to the international community and raise awareness on its importance worldwide. We are open to partner with groups and organizations from all over the world in order to create a global movement that understands and supports the moving nature of human beings. In the end, we are the most dynamic species on planet earth, as humans inhabit every corner of the globe.
Risks & Challenges
The biggest risk of this project is that people like you don't get involved. Of course we need money to make it happen but more than that we need you to support our cause. In several years of community based projects we have learned that money is just a tool but the real value is in the people that come together. This is why we need you!
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Other main risks are the short time frame from securing the funding to the actual event, aggressive reactions from extremist groups and bad weather. While we don't have any control on the last two, we are used with the magic of making things happen so we assure you we will make the best use of the money you invest.
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The enthusiasm and experience we gathered over the years make us see obstacles as challenges and we are always happy to creatively overcome them and learn from it. Honestly, no obstacle can stop us.
Other Ways You Can Help
If you resonate in any way with our project, it is the most valuable thing for us. While we need money to make it happen, we value most your trust and determination to contribute. So, whether or not you can support us financially, please spread the word and make some noise about TRAF! Please use the indiegogo specific tools to maximize the impact of sharing this cause!
Thank you and looking forward to seeing you at TRAF, either in person or just in spirit!
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