Empowering communities through arts, creativity and collaboration
Welcome to the official page of the ComAS project, where we harness the power of arts to foster civic engagement and social change.
Spanning five countries and 20 months, we develop resources, connect people through the arts and creativity, empower communities, and encourage meaningful dialogue.
What is ComAS?
ComAS—Community Arts for Civic Engagement and Social Change—is an Erasmus+ project dedicated to engaging communities through arts. By combining non-formal education methods with the arts, we aim to develop resources, build connections, bridge divides, and foster active citizenship.
Mission and Vision:
Our mission is to use arts as a tool to inspire cooperation, creativity, and dialogue among young people and communities.
We provide in-person courses at cultural events across Europe to support our participants in gaining real-life practical experience in using arts for community engagement.
We develop a versatile art-related resource kit to equip youth workers with the necessary art-related methods to engage people and drive positive social change
Target Audience:
The ComAS project engages youth, artists, educators, and community members who believe in the power of art to create meaningful connections.
Our resource kit is aimed at youth workers, social workers, and all those who work with other people and want to harness the power of the arts.
Coordinator:
Kontroll V association
We are a group of enthusiastic youthworker, who are deeply engaged with arts and their use for community and personal development.
We believe that we can contribute to a better-functioning society by merging our specialities and interests with arts, non-formal education and international projects
Partnership:
The ComAS project is built on a strong international partnership of organisations, artists, youth workers, and educators from across Europe. Our partners bring diverse backgrounds, local knowledge, and complementary expertise in community arts, youth work, non-formal education, and civic engagement.
Through close collaboration, shared learning, and co-creation, the partnership enabled the exchange of practices across borders and supported the development of meaningful community-based activities, trainings, and artistic interventions. This collective approach ensured that the project reflects a wide range of perspectives while remaining grounded in real community contexts.
Courses and Art Gallery
Our Creative Journey Across Europe
Over two years, the COMAS – Community Arts for Social Change project brought together youth workers, artists, educators, and community leaders from Hungary, Romania, Estonia, Spain, and Greece.
At the heart of the project were five international community engagement courses, each hosted in a different country and each embedded in a local festival or cultural event.
These courses acted as creative laboratories where participants learned by designing and delivering art, expression, and community-building workshops directly with local audiences.
From murals and performance art to emotional mapping, eco-art, escape rooms, and participatory installations, each course offered a unique environment to explore how creativity can spark dialogue, support well-being, strengthen inclusion, and bring communities together.
Across all five locations, participants engaged with children, young people, adults, artists, and festival visitors, using creativity as a tool for connection, reflection, and empowerment. Each course had its own character, shaped by local culture, community partners, and the artistic spirit of the festival in which it took place.
Below, you can explore each engagement course in detail — the workshops created, the community impact, the artistic outcomes, and the stories that made this journey so memorable.
Everything that we learnt and the workshops that we developed are included in the ComAS Book!
Waldorfeszt, Hungary
Waldorfeszt is a magical and welcoming festival rooted in love, acceptance, and genuine human connection. It creates a safe and inspiring space for authenticity, honest self-expression, and meaningful encounters between people. The event is rich with arts, open workshops, performances, conversations, concerts, and relaxed community activities, inviting participants to slow down, connect, and explore freely. Waldorfeszt is not just a festival, but an experience where creativity, openness, and togetherness naturally unfold.
Our incredible participants developed 10 and delivered 9 complete art and self-expression-related workshop sessions, totalling over 16 hours of engaging activities throughout the festival. These workshops focused on key aims such as developing creativity, boosting self-esteem, encouraging authentic self-expression, raising self-awareness, and gaining confidence. Each session also encouraged sharing and dialogue among participants and included a reflection part to ensure awareness of the learnings.
The workshops included:
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Henna Cultural Art – A workshop where participants shared their backgrounds, cultures, and cultural motifs through art and henna.
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Awaken Your Inner Child – Supporting connection and authentic expression through the body while exploring our inner child.
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Art Therapy – A collage and crafting workshop with guided sharing and reflection.
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Treasure Hunt – An immersive, interactive workshop for children, combining movement, play, and art.
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Expand Your Voice – Exploring authentic expression through voice and music, open to everyone — not just musicians.
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Find Yourself Through Art – A mindful workshop focused on self-awareness and reflection.
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Lucky Charm – A bracelet-making workshop connected to sharing, conversation, and reflection.
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Senses – Exploring the senses and sensory stimulation in a mindful way.
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Performance and Improvisation – Exploring improvisation and roles in a creative and authentic way.
Mythical Forest:
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Additionally, we initiated a community art project called the Mythical Forest. We set up a creative base with tools and clay, inviting festival-goers to create and add their fantasy creatures to the forest.
Erasmus Info Point:
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Throughout the 3 days, we hosted an Erasmus info point where we offered interactive games and activities to promote Erasmus opportunities. (Erasmus passports, country guessing, Erasmus arcade and quizzes.)
Interviews:
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Our participants also conducted video interviews with festival-goers and some of the organisers, capturing the vibrant spirit of Waldorfeszt.
Impact:
The first ComAS community engagement event at Waldorfeszt created a vibrant space for creativity, connection, and learning. Through participatory workshops, a collective art installation, and direct engagement activities, participants strengthened their facilitation skills, confidence, and capacity to work with diverse audiences in real-life community settings. Festival-goers were actively involved in artistic expression, dialogue, and reflection, while also gaining awareness of Erasmus+ opportunities. Actively engaging with festival-goers on multiple levels, our participants successfully connected with around 300-450 people in person. Overall, the event fostered meaningful human connections, encouraged self-expression across generations, and demonstrated the power of arts to engage, inspire, and bring people together.
See the gallery below!
Youth Summer Fest, Romania
Youth Summer Fest is a youth-led, international festival that brings together young people from different backgrounds to celebrate creativity, community, and cross-cultural exchange. Organised by an international team of volunteers, the festival activates streets, parks, youth centres, and nearby communities with a vibrant programme of music, art, workshops, sports activities, and community initiatives. Youth Summer Fest offers young people the opportunity not only to participate but also to co-create, share their talents, and shape the festival together.
We're thrilled to share below the incredible results of the second community engagement event and training of the ComAS project at the Youth Summer Fest in Timișoara, Romania!
Over the course of the event, our amazing participants designed 8 and delivered 7 dynamic, art- and self-expression-focused workshops, offering two full days of engaging activities for the youth house and the festival-goers.
Here's what we brought to life:
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Conscious Body Movement – Mindful movement, body awareness, and embodied presence
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How to Play as a Kid Again – Playfulness, imagination, and joyful reconnection through games
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Elements Cocktail – Sensory exploration and experimenting
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Treasure Hunt – Playful exploration, logic puzzles for groups, clues, and art
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Hand and Foot Painting – Exploratory, intuitive painting and reflection
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Moody Moving – Expressing emotions through movement and improvisation
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Stress First Aid – Simple tools for grounding, release, and relaxation
Our workshops aimed to promote key themes such as mental health awareness, cooperation and creativity, self-esteem, and confidence in authentic self-expression. They encouraged participants to share, reflect, and engage in meaningful dialogue while also having fun and learning new skills.
Escape Room
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An unforgettable, immersive Escape Room experience called “Rise of the Machine,” designed to foster communication, teamwork, and creative problem-solving in an intercultural environment.
Community Art Initiative: Fantasysoara
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We also created a community mural, painting two massive concrete rings near the Fitt Youth Centre. Local youth and festival visitors contributed their creativity to this collaborative project, leaving behind a beautifully versatile and symbolic piece of art for the community.
Erasmus Info Point:
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During the festival, we hosted an interactive Erasmus info point, sharing valuable insights and opportunities about the Erasmus+ program through games and engaging activities.
Video Interviews:
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Our participants took things to the next level by conducting video interviews with visitors, local Fitt volunteers, and representatives of ComAS partners, gathering stories and perspectives to further highlight the importance of volunteering, youth work and community engagement.
The Impact:
Through their dedication and active involvement, our participants connected with 250-300 festival-goers and local volunteers, encouraging intercultural dialogue, spreading inspiration, creativity, and empowerment.
An honest thank you to all our incredible participants for making this event so rich, vibrant, and meaningful! Your hard work, enthusiasm, and creativity helped to shape the Youth Summer Fest, and this experience as a whole.
We can’t wait to see what’s next for this journey!
For the photos and videos, check the gallery below!
Kunstikompott, Estonia
Kunstikompott is an art festival in Viljandi, Estonia, bringing together young people and professional artists for three days of creative collaboration and playful exploration. Through hands-on workshops, discussions, and collective creation, participants experiment with diverse art forms such as performance, costume design, sculpture, installation, film, and street art. Guided by experienced mentors and organised in cooperation with local art and youth organisations, the festival culminates in a public exhibition and offers an inspiring space for artistic growth, community, and connection.
The third community engagement event and training of the ComAS project took place across multiple locations in the breathtakingly beautiful Estonia!
Here's what we achieved together:
At Tammispea Camp, we developed and delivered the following workshops for the youth:
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Drawing and Sketching Workshop – A hands-on visual arts session focusing on observation, creativity, and personal expression through drawing and sketching techniques.
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Music and Improvisation Workshop – An interactive workshop encouraging spontaneous musical expression, listening, and collaboration through rhythm, sound, and improvisation.
Erasmus Escape Room:
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Our participants created an innovative and interactive Erasmus+ Escape Room to raise awareness about Erasmus+ opportunities. The escape room featured riddles, clues, and a short drama performance, making it an exciting, engaging experience for the participants.
In Viljandi, we collaborated with the Kunstikompott art event and contributed to an immersive public program that included:
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Performance Art – Exploring presence, expression, and storytelling through live artistic actions.
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Installation Art – Creating immersive spaces using visual elements and found materials.
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Street Art and Graffiti – Engaging with public space through collective visual expression.
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Costume Design – Designing and crafting wearable art to support character and self-expression.
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Filmmaking – Capturing creative processes and stories through short video productions.
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Freeing the Inner Clown – A playful workshop focused on vulnerability, humour, and authentic expression.
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Sculpture-Making – Shaping ideas and emotions into three-dimensional artistic forms.
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Emotional Release Workshop – A guided space for sharing, reflection, and emotional expression.
In Tallinn, at the IZUM Centre of Education and Development, we developed and delivered the following activities:
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Community Mural Painting – Creating two vibrant murals to transform a classroom into a more inspiring and welcoming learning space through collective artistic work.
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Interactive Garden Games – Designing and building creative, hands-on games for the school’s garden, encouraging play, cooperation, and active engagement.
The workshops focused on key themes like cooperation, creativity, self-esteem, and authentic self-expression. They encouraged participants to step out of their comfort zones, try something new, engage in meaningful reflection, and connect through art and dialogue, while also having fun and learning new skills and competencies along the way.
Video Interviews:
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Our participants conducted video interviews with local artists, teachers, event organisers, and representatives from the activities we joined. These interviews beautifully highlighted the importance of expressive arts, youth work, and inclusive community.
The Impact:
Through their dedication, energy, and active involvement, our participants designed and delivered a wide range of activities, engaging hundreds of people, both children and adults, locals and internationals alike. These encounters sparked creativity, inspiration, and a sense of empowerment at every stage of the journey.
For the photos and videos, check the gallery below!
Fortaleza Sound Festival, Spain
Fortaleza Sound Festival is an annual music and culture festival held in Lorca, Spain, celebrating a diverse mix of genres such as rock, pop, electronic, and indie music. Beyond its musical programme, the festival highlights local culture through traditional crafts, artisan markets, and a rich culinary. Set against the historic and scenic backdrop of Lorca, Fortaleza Sound creates a unique atmosphere where music, art, and local heritage come together, making it a standout event on Spain’s cultural calendar.
The fourth ComAS community engagement training turned an unexpected situation into a lively hub of creativity during the Fortaleza Sound Festival in Lorca, Spain. Participants connected with locals through diverse art workshops and activities. From collaborative murals to environmental actions, the square became alive with interaction and dialogue.
From 15–23 June 2025, our participants developed and delivered a wide range of community art workshops and initiatives during the Fortaleza Sound Festival.
We faced some unexpected turns that required quick adaptation and improvisation — our location was set in a more remote part of the festival, away from the central stage, and the concerts originally planned for our square were cancelled!
Still, the area remained lively with many people passing by, which gave us the perfect opportunity to engage directly with children, young people, and adults — inviting them into moments of creative expression and meaningful dialogue.
Workshops that we brought to life:
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Feelings in Colours – A bracelet-making workshop using colour as a tool to explore emotions, self-expression, and emotional awareness.
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Take a Step – An interactive role-play activity inviting participants to reflect on privilege, inequality, and social dynamics through embodied experience.
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The Mirror of the Community – A photography activity where local residents captured their town through their own perspective and shared personal stories and reflections.
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Mandala Workshop – A mindful creative session translating atmosphere, emotions, and inner states into colors, patterns, and shapes.
Community Art Initiatives that we brought to life:
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Splash Playground – A playful children’s activity where participants used water guns and paint to co-create a large, spontaneous collective artwork.
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Tree Gallery – An open-air exhibition where drawings and personal interpretations of the word “Fortaleza” were displayed among the trees for the community to experience.
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Collective Poetry – A living poem created collaboratively by community members, written together in public space on the streets of Lorca.
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Trash Art – An environmental awareness action using cigarette butts as visual material, combined with public voting to spark reflection on waste and responsibility.
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Destino Soñado – A collaborative mural where participants illustrated and shared their dream travel destinations, creating a collective vision of aspiration and imagination.
Erasmus+ Info Station:
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We set up a space where locals could discover Erasmus+ and European opportunities, sparking curiosity and conversations about mobility and civic participation.
Videos:
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Our participants created video documentation and short movies throughout our stay in Lorca.
The Impact:
Our team engaged with hundreds of people throughout the festival — sometimes through deep one-on-one encounters, other times by reaching larger groups at once. While some participants found this process challenging and others more intuitive, the experience supported growth, confidence, and adaptability across the group.
Together, we transformed an unexpected situation into a versatile and lively space for creativity, intercultural dialogue, and community engagement. Thanks to their energy and commitment, a square that could have remained empty after the concert cancellation instead became alive with art, interaction, and meaningful human connection.
For the photos and videos, check the gallery below!
ASTO Festival in Patras, Greece
ASTO Festival is a multidisciplinary community festival in Patras that promotes inclusive artistic expression, intercultural dialogue, and participatory creation. The festival offers participants the opportunity to actively engage with the local community through performances, exhibitions, and co-creative projects, turning public spaces into platforms for connection and shared artistic experience.
From 23 June – 1 July 2025, our participants stayed in Patras and took part in ASTO Festival, a multidisciplinary celebration of art, civic engagement, and community.
Throughout the week, our participants developed and delivered a diverse range of community art workshops and initiatives, transforming the festival grounds into spaces of creativity, dialogue, and reflection.
Workshops that we brought to life:
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Watering Dreams – A participatory theatrical performance inspired by ASTO’s values, blending play, planting, and imagination to explore hopes for the future.
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Self-Discovery Drawing – A meditative drawing session focused on relaxation, self-reflection, and personal insight.
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Weaving with Plants – An eco-art workshop using natural materials to collectively weave a living tapestry, highlighting connection with nature and community.
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Releasing & (Re)Grounding – A reflective workshop combining mindful movement and writing to support emotional release, body awareness, and reconnection.
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Chair Yoga Workshop – A gentle and accessible movement session using seated poses to promote relaxation, flexibility, and body awareness.
Community Art Initiatives that we brought to life:
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Mirror of Childhood – A collaborative artwork where participants shared childhood memories by drawing on a mirror, creating a layered collective story of reflection and nostalgia.
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“How Do You Feel?” Installation – An emotional mapping installation inviting visitors to express and reflect on their moods before and after the festival experience.
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Continue the Painting – A large-scale community canvas that evolved throughout the event through continuous contributions from both children and adults.
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Persephone’s Mural – A mythology-inspired mural where locals portrayed themselves as characters, exploring identity, storytelling, and transformation.
Erasmus Info Point:
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Erasmus+ Info Space – A dedicated area offering information and interactive activities to share Erasmus+ and European opportunities with festival-goers.
Video Documentation:
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Short video conversations capturing personal stories, motivations, and reflections from festival participants and workshop leaders.
The Impact:
Engagement ranged from small groups of 10–30 in deep dialogue to 50+ locals taking part in larger workshops. Altogether, we shared many hundreds of meaningful interactions with the community. Some participants described full immersion, talking with locals, inviting them into community art, and sparking reflections on values, belonging, and civic life. This is where the true depth of this work lies.
For the photos and videos, check the gallery below!
The ComAS Booklet
A Hands-On Guide for Creative Workshops and Community Art Projects
This 130-page publication brings together insights from five countries, dozens of youth workers and artists, and a lot of creative workshops delivered across Europe.
Community Arts – Why They Matter Today
Discover how art connects people, amplifies voices, and supports civic engagement. Learn about the evolution of community arts, from early public art traditions to modern participatory projects like JR’s Inside Out Project.
Arts & Expression Workshops
Find out why creative methods are so powerful in youth work, mental health support, and community engagement.
Learn how painting, movement, sound, storytelling, and performance can become tools for reflection, dialogue, and empowerment.
What’s Inside the Booklet?
Step by Step Planning Templates
Practical Workshop-Planning Tools
Step-by-step templates guide you through designing effective, meaningful creative workshops—covering aims, space, materials, flow, accessibility, group dynamics, and reflection.
Structured pages help you build activities anyone on your team could facilitate.
Create Your Own Community Art Project
Turn an idea into action with a complete planning toolkit:
mapping your community, identifying aims, choosing art forms, building partnerships, budgeting, engagement strategies, documentation, and sustainability.
Workshop Library – Ready-to-Use Workshops
A rich, diverse library of creative workshops developed during the COMAS project, spanning:
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Movement & Body
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Voice & Sound
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Visual Arts & Crafts
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Improvisation & Performance
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Therapeutic & Reflective Arts
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Community & Collective Creation
Every session includes objectives, materials, timing, step-by-step guidance, and reflection prompts.
Funding Opportunities
A curated list of EU, international, regional, and micro-funding sources supporting arts, culture, and youth initiatives — including Erasmus+, Creative Europe, EEA Grants, CulturEU, and more.
About the COMAS Project
Learn how youth workers and artists from Hungary, Romania, Estonia, Spain, and Greece collaborated across five festivals, delivering creative workshops and community art with thousands of participants.
Who Is This Booklet For?
The COMAS booklet is designed mainly for those who work or would like to work with the arts and people:
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youth workers & youth leaders
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artists & facilitators
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teachers, trainers & educators
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cultural mediators
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community organizers
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NGOs & grassroots groups
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students of arts, social work, and pedagogy
Whether you’re new to facilitation or already experienced, you’ll find tools you can apply immediately — or adapt to your own style and context.
Invite your creativity to take the lead.
Explore new ways of working with groups.
Build workshops and community projects that inspire expression, dialogue, and real connection.
📥 Run through the online version or download the Booklet in PDF below!
Workshop library
This section brings together a diverse range of workshops developed throughout the ComAS project by artists, youth workers, and facilitators working across Europe.
You’re welcome to use these workshops as they are, or let them serve as inspiration for designing your own. Feel free to adapt, remix, and reshape them to match your facilitation style, the needs of your participants, and the context you’re working in.
Whether you're just starting out or have years of experience, we hope this collection gives you fresh ideas, practical tools, and the confidence to create your own workshops.
In the library, you will find 35 fully described workshops. Each workshop has multiple activities, from warmup through the main activities, reflections and closing, as well as aims, learning objectives, facilitation prompts and a step-by-step guide for multiplication.
The workshops are diverse and multidimensional. While they are grouped into categories for easier navigation, it is important to note that many of them naturally overlap. A session categorized as movement may also include elements of art therapy, while a workshop placed under performance might just as easily touch on community-building, visual arts, or emotional reflection.
Contents of the Workshop Library:
Movement & Body
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I Feel My Body
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Elastic Connections
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Embodied Flow
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Awakening Your Inner Child
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Moody Moving
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Improv Movement
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Journey to Contact – Authenticity
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Embodying Trust
Voice & Sound
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Expand Your Voice
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Organic Drum Machine
Visual Arts & Crafts
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Expressive Clay
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Find Yourself Through Art
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Hand and Foot Painting
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Henna Culture
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Introduction to Installation Art
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The Mask Within
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Elements Cocktail
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The Imperfect Masterpiece
Improvisation & Performance
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Free Your Inner Clown
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Puppets on Sticks
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Public Presence
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Perform and Play
Therapeutic & Reflective Arts
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Emotion Release
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The Labyrinth
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Inside Out
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Feelings in Colours
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Senses
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Stress First Aid Kit
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Tree of Me
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You Do You
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Fire Worries
Community & Collective Creation
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Creating a New Nation
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Forest Art Collaboration
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Magical Identities
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Watering Dreams
Learn to Design a Workshop or a Community Art Project Step-By-Step
Throughout our two-year journey across Europe, we worked with a diverse group of people and developed dozens of workshops and community art projects. By the end of this journey, we had gathered extensive experience in workshop development and planning. Based on this learning, we created a guide to help others with similar motivations get started with their own ideas.
Below, you will find guiding questions to help you begin shaping your ideas.
You can follow the questions online and work in a notebook, or you can download the guiding questions and start working directly in a document.
Download the whole book for further details and explanation!
How to design a Workshop?
Step by step guiding questions for workshop development.
Check our Workshop Library for further inspiration.
How to Plan a Community Art Project?
Step-by-step guiding questions for outlining a community art initiative.
