Young Refugee Artists: The Launch of A Month-In-The-Life Series
Monthly posts in the Refugee Artist Support Circle Section of The Creative Convergence chronicle the lives of young refugee artists living in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, Uganda
The path of life twists and turns and lands us in unexpected places, virtually or otherwise. This year, I twisted and turned along many a path which included developing a relationship with a young refugee artist collective in the Nakivale Refugee Settlement in Uganda: Nakivale Young Talent Community, led by 22-year old changemaker
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NYTC is not only a refugee-led young artist collective, it’s a community-based organization that provides art education and other creative expressive opportunities for 80 children ages 5 to 25!
My relationship with NYTC has grown over the months, starting with the June 1st Online Young Artist Expo, continuing on to building their new Art Education Center, and hosting the second online expo and art auction in late September.
On a nearly daily basis, I receive stories, pictures and video from their founder Akon Deograce, always rich with detail. I’ve followed their many ups and their many downs over the last couple of months.

It would be a missed opportunity to not share these stories with the outside world. So few people get to be so closely connected to people 8,000 miles away. And, particularly these people who I have grown to consider an extended part of my family.
Refugee Artist Support Circle
I started the Refugee Artist Support Circle section on The Creative Convergence in June to both chronicle their lives but to also offer people an opportunity to support their work.
Read more about the Support Circle, how to subscribe to it as a special Substack section, and what upgrading to a paid subscription means for you and for this young refugee artist collective in this introductory post below!
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
All Issues Available Now!
Over the holiday, I have finally managed to put all of my weekly notes, photos, and videos (including many that live on my YouTube channel) into monthly stories, backfilling six intense, fulfilling, exciting, and scary months worth of their stories. You can now read them all here for free!
06 | 2024 Nakivale YTC Artist News
First Online Art Exhibit, A Trip to Kampala, Non-Stop Nakivale Art, & World Refugee Day Festivities
07 | 2024 Nakivale YTC Artist News
Original Art SOLD!, Artist Videos, Storybooks, Family Portrait & New Refugees
08 | 2024 Nakivale YTC Artist News
From Shocking Electrical Fire at the Old Center to the Grand Opening of the New Art Education Center, August was a Transformative Month!
09 | 2024 Nakivale YTC Artist News
Rain Brought Near Destruction, RainMakers Brought Solutions, We Nearly Lost Our Dear Leader to Typhoid, & Celebrated 16 Young Artists at the "World Through My Eyes" International Young Artist Expo
10 | 2024 Nakivale YTC Artist News
On Top of the World, Art Haul, Painting En Plein Air, and Bringing Art to New Refugee Arrivals in Rubondo
11 | 2024 Nakivale YTC Artist News
Art Education Center infrastructure improvements bring critical sanitation, clean water, and community Wi-Fi while artists complete Holiday Cards and Illustrated Storybooks
Creative Expression is A Life Saver
Refugees from Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, and other East African countries, these artists are forging a new life in what can only be considered a temporary home (while many have lived there for a decade or more).
They are doing their best with what they have, buoying each other, keeping hope, staying active, drawing, painting, modeling, dancing, singing, and inspiring others to do the same.

Creative expression with community has become a life saving, life changing opportunity for these artists. They have co-created this opportunity together. And, we, their cheerleaders, donors, and supporters, have been there to help them build and maintain the capacity to keep doing the work.
Join me in supporting these young artists.
You can do so by… reading, sharing, subscribing, commenting, liking, and if you so choose, upgrading your subscription!
You can also do all or some of the above as well as make a donation. I support the artists’ safety, security, health and well-being and it’s hard to do it alone. I would love some art-loving compadres to lend a hand!