Collaboration Concordia & Alifa
Alifa
Together for equal opportunities
Concordia and the welfare organization Alifa have been closely collaborating for several years to connect Alifa's target groups with art and culture. Specifically, this includes visual arts and film, as those are our art disciplines.
We believe that art and culture enrich you as a person and connect you with others; they enhance joy in life and self-reliance. This is precisely the mission of Alifa. Together, we are committed to equal opportunities and an inclusive society. This approach works: we see people grow, open up, and discover new talents within themselves. We often hear that a participant feels more connected both to themselves and to others. And that's what we’re here for!
In recent years, we have launched numerous activities and projects involving mothers from the neighborhoods, young people, seniors, and people with roots in other countries. We started with pop-up art discussions in the neighborhoods, coffee hours, and yoga among the artworks, along with guided tours, creative workshops, and joint actions during the Week Against Loneliness. This way, we introduced the Alifa participants to art and culture in an accessible manner.
Exhibiting themselves
Then we took a step further. For those who wish, they can participate in The Month of Alifa workshop series. In these workshops, participants work towards an exhibition at Concordia, under the guidance of professional artists.
Here, the Alifa participants learn various techniques and work with materials such as oil paint, paper, textiles, and gelli plates.
Every year, we choose a theme. One theme was The Artist’s Way method, where participants went on an Artist Date alone each week and wrote Morning Pages in a journal. These experiences formed the basis for the artworks.
In 2025, the theme will be Women in Enschede. Participants will be inspired by remarkable women from our city, women from their own family, or by themselves.
More information about the exhibition
Feedback from participants
"I really knew nothing at the start, and now a world has opened up for me."
“I thought I wasn't creative, but now I'm even making things at home.”
"I never thought something of mine would hang in an exhibition space in the city. I feel very proud."
The Art Club goes deeper
For Alifa participants who want to delve deeper into film and visual art, we have established The Art Club. For this permanent group, we organize an interesting meeting each month for a year. Together, we visit exhibitions and go to studios where we engage in conversation with artists. We watch films and discuss them afterward with an expert. We attend a rehearsal of an orchestra (film cannot exist without music!) or have an art history lesson.
The Art Club allows participants to further develop themselves, gain new knowledge, and broaden their horizons. Additionally, they meet like-minded individuals, feel embedded and connected, and their network expands.
What else do we do
Since not everyone simply comes to the city center - let alone to a cultural institution - we visit Alifa groups in the neighborhoods. We conduct Art over Coffee discussions and organize creative workshops such as making happiness collages, designing treasure boxes, and children's workshops. We also connect with theme weeks like the Week Against Loneliness and the Week of Parenting.
Alifa participants from the neighborhoods also regularly participate in community art projects that we organize as part of our events: Time for the Neighborhood, Balcony Festival, and the City Inn.