Narratives of Hope

An Erasmus+ collaboration empowering migrant youth
through libraries, art, and digital storytelling.

Across Berlin, Paris, and Siracusa, Narratives of Hope will create inclusive spaces where young migrants can learn, express themselves, and connect through story.

Together with our partners in Italy and France, we’re building new youth libraries, running digital storytelling workshops, and amplifying the voices of young people whose stories too often go unheard.

PARTNERS

Lilipad e.V. (Germany) ·
RésidSocial (France) ·
Fondazione Siamo Mediterraneo
– C.I.A.O. (Italy)

DURATION

From September 2025
to August 2026

TARGET GROUP

Migrant youth aged 10+

The Project

Across Europe, migrant youth face significant linguistic, educational, and social barriers. One in three refugees and migrants arriving in Europe is a child, often with limited access to safe learning spaces or creative opportunities.

Narratives of Hope responds to this by combining libraries, art, and digital storytelling to strengthen inclusion and self-expression. The project will create environments where young people can share their experiences, learn new skills, and find belonging through creativity.

What Will Happen

Building Youth Libraries and Creative Hubs

Three new libraries will be established:

One in Siracusa (Italy) at the community center C.I.A.O.
Two in Paris (France) within two RésidSocial housing residences. Lilipad had already established small reading corners in these residences back in 2022. Thanks to this new initiative, the spaces will be transformed into bigger community libraries.

Each space will be equipped with multilingual books, art materials, and digital storytelling tools (microphones, headphones, editing software) creating small, inclusive hubs where learning and imagination meet.

In Berlin, Lilipad will expand programming in two of its existing libraries inside refugee accommodations, strengthening their creative and intercultural focus.

Storytelling & Creative Workshops

Once the spaces open, local facilitators will lead a series of digital and artistic workshops designed to help young people find their voice.
Participants will learn podcasting, audio storytelling, and visual arts - exploring identity and belonging through creativity.

Each workshop series will nurture confidence, digital literacy, and collaboration, and will show young migrants that their voices have value and power.

Community & Exchange

The project will host intercultural events across all libraries. These are meant to bring together families, educators, and communities to celebrate youth voices. A transnational peer-learning meeting in Siracusa will allow partner teams to exchange methods and strengthen their collective capacity.

The initiative will culminate in Berlin, where a final conference will bring together a group of civil society actors to share stories and lessons from their work. A digital handbook documenting the project’s creative practices will be distributed as wide as possible to share lessons learned and a concrete guide on how to nurture such a partnership.