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.
About
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
Participating Countries and Partners:
The consortium comprises internationally active organizations focused on youth, education, culture, and arts. United in their commitment to fostering civic engagement and empowering young people, the partnership collaborates to address social issues and promote innovation in youth work, with a strong emphasis on arts, inclusivity and community engagement.
Engagement Courses
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 in the blog posts, 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.
The ComAS Booklet
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.
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.
Step by Step Planning Templates
What’s Inside the Booklet?
Workshop Library – Ready-to-Use Workshops
A rich, diverse library of creative workshops developed during the COMAS project, spanning:
-
Movement & Body
-
Voice & Sound
-
Visual Arts & Crafts
-
Improvisation & Performance
-
Therapeutic & Reflective Arts
-
Community & Collective Creation
Every session includes objectives, materials, timing, step-by-step guidance, and reflection prompts.
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.
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.
The COMAS booklet is designed mainly for those who work or would like to work with the arts and people:
-
youth workers & youth leaders
-
artists & facilitators
-
teachers, trainers & educators
-
cultural mediators
-
community organizers
-
NGOs & grassroots groups
-
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.
🌱 Who Is This Booklet For?
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!
Exhibition and Gallery
Below you can learn more about the workshops we developed and delivered, as well as the community art pieces we created throughout the project.
