Join the Circle: Empower Nakivale Young Refugee Artists

Over three days in June 2024, the young artists of Nakivale Young Talent Community (NYTC) in Uganda created 30 artworks for the UNHCR World Refugee Day festivities. The video above, created by refugee videographer DR Lee with music generously contributed by Antoinette

Rootsdawtah

, showcases the artists’ talent and capacity produce with limited resources.

Imagine what they could produce with ongoing support!

Every artist needs someone to believe in them, appreciate their work and support them to thrive. Become a paid subscriber of The Creative Convergence and you will help support over 50 young refugee artists and their mentors in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, Uganda, helping them continue their creative work and mentorship.

How will your paid subscription help? 100% of your paid subscription plus deducted Substack and Stripe fees (which will be covered by me) will fund art materials and supplies as well as a daily meal and water for one young artist, keeping them learning, producing, and working towards their goal of using their art to express themselves and earn a living.

In return, you will receive a special set of Artist Support Circle benefits. Support circle benefits include exclusive posts about the artists, monthly e-card art and access to monthly Zoom sessions with the artists (for more details scroll down!). You can also go directly to the first Welcome Post for Free & Paid Subscribers.

The artwork of Nakivale Young Refugee Artists is breathtaking, haunting, and inspiring. Let’s work together to help them create more work to generate income as well as train and mentor the next generation of Nakivale artists!

Your Paid Subscription Supports Artists & Art Education

Your paid subscription directly supports Nakivale Young Talent Community (NYTC), a registered community-based organization in the Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda. NYTC was created by young refugee artists to support their own art journeys as well as provide free art education and mentorship to over 50 children.

NYTC refugee artists, aged 15-22 from Congo, Burundi, South Sudan, and other African countries experiencing war and conflict, use art to stay motivated, hopeful, and express their pain and hope. They have fled war and conflict, each with a story of tragic loss and trauma. Despite this, Nakivale artists create stunning, inspiring art with minimal resources, running their own art education program in a makeshift shelter. (They are currently working to complete an Art Education Center).

Participating in the NYTC art program helps young boys and girls stay off the streets and learn in a nurturing environment. Opportunities for income in the settlement are scarce. Refugee families in Nakivale barely survive on $5 a month per person, with limited job opportunities and no food rations. Depression and loneliness often lead to desperation, pushing some towards alcohol and drugs. Youth art programs offer hope and skill development for a brighter future.

Your Paid Subscription Feeds Minds, Hearts & Bodies

Proceeds from all paid subscriptions, plus Substack and Stripe fees (which I cover), combined with my monthly contribution, will be used to:

1. Buy art supplies such as paints, canvases, pencils, and sketchbooks, enabling artists to create high-quality art for sale and teach young artists.

2. Support a daily lunch program for children attending art classes, providing beans, rice, and water to ensure they have the energy to learn and create and remain hydrated with safe water. Teacher and mentor artists will also benefit!

3. Fund Wi-Fi access for artists to upload images, participate in Zoom meetings, and access online art classes and images, connecting them to the outside world and enhancing their skills.

A monthly paid subscription of $8 will support the daily art material and lunch needs of one child or youth per month.

15-year old Josby hard at work; art feeds the soul, we need to feed the artist! He is creating a piece honoring his mother and other women who sewed masks to protect against COVID-19. Food provided is a mixture of beans and rice cooked by the artists themselves.

Your Paid Subscription Keeps NYTC Artists Producing… Selling Original Art is a Path to Income Generation and Organizational Sustainability

Your paid subscription also keeps the older artists (oldest is only 22!) working by feeding them and keeping their paint palettes full. The opportunity to generate income through the sale of prints and original art work.

NYTC celebrated their first sale of original art work in June 2024. Stand Up For Justice based in the United States purchased the original painting (pictured below) from 19-year old Mansur Kabera. The majority of the proceeds benefitted Mansur’s family with the remainder going to fund the organization’s internet data costs.

Artists with Mansur’s original artwork that sold to US-based Stand Up for Justice in June 2024. Mansur is far left.

By keeping the older artists producing work, there will be more opportunities to help market their work to a wider audience, enabling them to sell prints and originals to feed their families and support the organization’s activities into the future. Visit the RedBubble site I set up for Nakivale artists or the RainMaker Design Etsy site where I sell crochet and Nakivale print and merchandise with all profits given to the artists.

Enjoy this short video of the artists joyfully working after classes… (I recommend pausing the video up top first so you can enjoy the full effects of the below video).

Paid Subscription Levels

Subscription Levels for Nakivale Young Refugee Artist Support Circle

Painter Level: $8/month
Master Artist Level: $75/year
Founding Art Patron Level: $150/year

Painter Level includes:

• Exclusive Weekly Posts: Stories, pictures, and videos about the artists' work and their journey in building a new education center.

• Monthly 4x6 E-Print: Unique art piece with accompanying story created and written by the young artists. View examples on our RedBubble page.

• Monthly Zoom Meeting: Discussions and paint demonstrations with the artists.

Master Artist Level Includes:

• All Painter Level benefits

• Free participation in one Online Art Exhibition per year

• One free 8x12 unframed print of your choice mailed to you

Founding Art Patron Level Includes:

• All Master Artist Level benefits

• One commission piece from the artist of your choice (you will receive the high res file of your comissioned print; if you choose to purchase the original, shipping fees apply).

Here is an example! The artists drew my Siberian cat, Kiki. And, my Dachshund Mix, Yoshi.

Paid Subscriber Benefits start September 2024

Paid subscription benefits launch September 2024. From then, all paid subscribers can access paywalled weekly posts and receive their first art e-print upon upgrading. Master Level and Founding Art Patrons will be contacted to coordinate additional benefits.

For more information on the difference between Free & Paid Subscriptions as it relates to Nakivale Refugee Art Support circle as well as a sneak peak into the kind of content you will receive as a Paid Subscriber, check out this post:

If you want to support but don’t want to upgrade to a paid subscription and be a Circle member…

You can make a difference with a one-time donation of any amount to the Tip jar I set up and manage on behalf of the artists. Tip jar donations go directly into the same pool of funds that will support daily artist supplies, materials, plus food and water costs.

Or, you can make a donation to the Nakivale Young Talent Community’s Building Fundraiser. I’ve set up a GoFundMe page to help them complete the Arts Education Center they already started building in 2023: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-complete-nakivale-young-artist-education-center

Read More About The Young Refugee Artists of Nakivale…

To read more about the Young Refugee Artists at Nakivale, you can read artist profiles here, watch the video from our June 1st Artist Expo here, and check out the Substack posts I’ve written about them to date on The Creative Convergence.

FAQs

What percentage of my subscription truly goes to benefit the artists? 100% of your paid subscription plus deducted Substack fees and Stripe fees (I will cover those) go directly to Nakivale Young Talent Community. If there are any wire transfer fees, I cover them.

If 100% of my gross paid subscriptions goes to benefit the artists, how is The Creative Convergence (namely Emily!) covering the costs for subscriber benefits like artwork? Many hands make light work. I’ve already made substantial contributions to this group. But I can’t level them up alone. So, by joining me here as a paid subscriber, you are making this work much lighter and much more fun for all of us! So, it is my pleasure to pay for the costs of subscriber benefits. The end game here is to benefit the artists and put them on a path to self-sufficiency while they mentor the next generation of Nakivale artists.

Can I stop my subscription at any time?Yes! But consistency helps support the programming.

Can I get a refund? No refunds unless you signed up by accident. DM me to resolve.

How do I know this is legit? Nakivale Young Talent Community is registered as a Community Based Organization with the County of Isingiro in Uganda. Between the organization and me, we have developed systems of accounability, whereby the artists regularly show how funds are used as agreed and a monthly report is submitted to me. If you're uncomfortable with the program, a subscription may not be for you.

What accountability will be provided? Funds are sent weekly to NYTC Director Akon Deograce in Uganda via SendWave (zero fee third party money transfer company), with the artists providing regular updates and weekly Zoom check-ins. Their monthly expense report as well as money transfer receipts proving that I have transfered 100% of paid subscriptions to the organization will be made available monthly via a Shared Google Drive folder to paid subscribers.

How do I purchase original art? Plans are underway for facilitating the purchase of original art; stay tuned!

Can I purchase a print? Yes! You can also purchase merchandise at the RedBubble store I set up for the artists or my Etsy store. All profits benefit the artists.

For other questions, please DM me!