What We Do

read more Breaking Walls is a non-profit youth empowerment movement founded in 2011, focused on helping young people discover their voice. We stimulate a new way of thinking amongst youth in various communities through artistic, ed...

FRAN’S THOUGHTS AHEAD OF OUR 2023 PALERMO SUMMIT!!

read more Once again Breaking Walls’ Summit is approaching, and I can’t help but feel anxious about it. It's that feeling of knowing something important is getting closer, and you want to g...

Breaking Walls, Safe To Say, Is Quite The Experience, Amy, 2023 Cape Town Artist

read more Breaking Walls, safe to say, is quite an experience. The beginning of the 2023 Palermo Summit began with a creative burst, whereby the artists shared ...

Senior Reflects on 2023 Cape Town Community-Based Initiative

read more Dear [Fran, Mama D, OJ], I hope this letter finds you in the best of spirits. I am writing to express my heartfelt gratitude for the incredible Breaking Walls program ...

The 2024 Paula Fürst Schule Virtual Arts Cooperative Approaches

read more The Paula Fürst Schule is a Montessori school in the Charlottenburg district in Berlin, with many creative students and teachers, who like experimenting new projects ...

Berlin Artist, Malak, Shares Her Experience

read more My experience with Breaking Walls has been transformative. From the moment I joined, I found myself immersed in a community dedicated to fostering understanding and collaboration through ...

So I'm Really Looking Forward to Taking Part in the 2024 Summit - Sebi

read more Hello everyone! My name is Sebastiano, I'm 15 and I'm from the Palermo delegation. This past year I had my first Summit with Breaking Walls and it was an unforg...

Cape Town Artist, Sherwin (left) Is Excited For The 2024 Sarajevo Summit

read more After experiencing the 2023 Community-Based Initiative in Cape Town, I was chosen to attend a Summit in Sarajevo with Breaking Walls for 18 days in July. I am very excited to participate in the S...

Santiago Ambassador, Angie's Experiences in Cuba Representing BW

read more The dream of getting to know Cuba was a dream that I had since I was a teenager. As I grew older, that desire to meet a new culture got mixed with my aspirations as a...

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http://breakingwallsprogram.org/blog-post/santiago-ambassa…-representing-bw/

The Mission

Breaking Walls exists to bring arts education and leadership skill-building to diverse communities of young people across the globe. Through its innovative programming and skilled artistic mentors, young participants utilize creative activism and peacemaking models to produce original pieces of literary, visual, and vocal art, instrumental music, dance, and ensemble performances. Breaking Walls ultimately seeks to create a unified, empathetic and justice-oriented global community by bringing together young people through its art and activism programming. Organization History: Breaking Walls is the outgrowth of an arts, social justice, and universal acceptance project spearheaded by Fran Tarr in 2008 when she took a group of disadvantaged young people (ages 16 to 18) from Brooklyn, NY to meet with their counterparts (ages 14 to 17) in Bethlehem, Palestine. These young people recognized that through their individual literary art and ensemble performance collaboration they were able to connect and build mutual respect and understanding. By letting down their walls and listening to one another without bias, they effectively built a bridge between their polarized life experiences. As part of this reflection, they wanted to continue reaching all young people of every race, religion, and country of origin – inspiring the formalized creation of Breaking Walls as a nonprofit organization in 2011. Since its inception in Brooklyn and Bethlehem, Breaking Walls continues to serve young people who struggle with social unrest, intolerance, and peer pressure. We have evolved into a cohesive international youth empowerment through-the-arts movement, having held In-school Arts Education Workshops, Virtual Artist Cooperatives, Community-Based Initiatives, and annual International Summits with young people in 13 communities across Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America.

2024 International Summit Program in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Mission

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Recent Posts

2021 Virtual Artust Cooperative Reflection by Claudia

Breaking Walls 2019 Tangier – Fund-Fest on February 11

Stars & Change Makers – A Reflection by Brooklyn Ambassador Jonnell Simpson

Breaking Walls 2018 Fundraising Eveing!

Breaking Walls Arts Education Workshop 2017 Berlin