Drawing Hope is a trans-local peace project that delivers messages of hope through children’s artwork, fostering intergenerational dialogue.
Drawing Hope: Children’s Art for Peace
Drawing Hope is a global peace initiative that shares messages of hope through children’s artwork. The project collaborates with grassroots and civil society organizations across countries to create spaces for creative exchange. Through art, children produce self-portraits and messages for future friends in different parts of the world.
The initiative engages children and youth from diverse contexts, each shaped by distinct histories of conflict, cultures, and languages. Through their artwork, they imagine crossing these boundaries to meet and connect with peers across the globe, sharing messages of greeting, peace, and reconciliation.
The Drawing Hope art exhibition creates a space for reflection and connection, inviting people to engage with children’s perspectives and to imagine a peaceful future in which all can thrive.
Objectives
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Creating space for intergenerational dialogue through children’s artwork expressing hopes for peace
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Building a network of civil societies in solidarity to promote peace and prosperity for future generations
The Drawing Hope Network
While unique historical and cultural contexts shape each society's experience of conflict, these differences can become sources of reciprocal empowerment and trans-local learning, enriching peace and reconciliation initiatives in conflict-affected societies. Conflict often isolates individuals and communities, making envisioning possibilities beyond entrenched barriers difficult. Specific topics may even be considered taboo within a given society. However, hearing stories from conflict-affected regions can provide an indirect yet consequential pathway for dialogue, reflection, and healing.
The Drawing Hope Network was established to foster this solidarity and shared learning among local communities.
Through various initiatives like the Drawing Hope exhibition project, the Network aims to nurture cross-border solidarity, provide emotional and strategic support, and inspire hope for transformative change.
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Friends of Northeast Asia Children's Art Exhibition Organizing Committee
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Irish School of Ecumenics
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Corrymeela Community
History and background of drawing exchanges
In 2025, the Korean Peninsula will mark 80 years of division. During the Cold War era, interactions across the border were prohibited, and both sides dehumanized each other through propaganda. In ROK, for instance, children were encouraged to participate in anti-communism art contests until the 1980s. Narratives of fear and animosity shaped these children.
Recognizing the need to break this cycle, Okedongmu Children in Korea (OKCK) launched the 'Hello, My Friend' campaign in 1996. At a time when the DPRK appealed for international humanitarian aid, OKCK sought to prevent the perpetuation of hatred and war. ROK children drew self-portraits and friendship messages for their peers in the DPRK. These artworks were delivered to DPRK authorities, and the initiative eventually facilitated a historic visit of ROK children to Pyongyang—the first of its kind.
In 2000, the Friends of Northeast Asia Children's Art Exhibition Organizing Committee in Japan added momentum to these efforts. The committee organized annual exhibitions and workshops in cities like Tokyo, Seoul, and Pyongyang.
The Drawing Hope: Children’s Art for Peace exhibition debuted in Los Angeles in November 2023. As home to the largest Korean diaspora in the U.S., Los Angeles provided a poignant backdrop for reflecting on the legacy of the Korean conflict. In 2024 and 2025, the exhibition travelled to Belfast, Northern Ireland, and to Cape Town, South Africa, offering a valuable opportunity for mutual learning between societies affected by protracted conflict.
Since then, the participating organizations in the Drawing Hope network have been gathering children's drawings from their respective societies. As the collection continues to grow with contributions from more countries, Drawing Hope aims to amplify the imagination and message of hope, fostering both intergenerational solidarity and meaningful dialogue across generations.
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