Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona

The International Cooperation Service of the AMB and the organisation Lesvos Solidarity announce the 4th edition of the Social Ideas Contest, aimed at giving a new use to pieces of life vests, inflatable boats (dinghies), plastics and clothing stacked on Lesbos island (Greece). More than 30 students participated in the three previous editions of the contest, in which 6 projects were awarded.

This year, thanks to the success of the previous editions, participation is also open to students of plastic art, textile, design and engineering, with the necessary artistic and technical skills to fulfil the demands of the Safe Passage project, managed by Lesvos Solidarity.

For those interested in taking part into the contest, an online seminar will be held on 16th  March: a team from the International Cooperation Service will explain the situation of Lesbos refugees, will describe the Safe Passage project, and will be answering questions and doubts related to the participation into the contest as well. In addition, the AMB will offer on-demand workshops to educational institutions.

The period for submitting the projects starts on 3rd March and ends on 7th June at 2 p. m. Lesvos Solidarity will award the winners with a trip to Lesbos, so that they can see first-hand the situation and the projects carried out on the island, as well as share ideas, designs and processes with workshop staff where the chosen proposals will be manufactured.

Like in the first three editions, the contest aims to show the challenges that the refugees on the island of Lesbos or in the Mediterranean must face, while promoting collaborative work among refugees and local people through a solidarity and sustainable initiative. Students are also welcome to reflect, share their knowledge and diverse views and suggest real solutions in order to give a new life to unused materials.