The RISE community sponsorship project, which began in April 2024, has gained momentum and is now halfway through its activities. Volunteers who were recruited and trained over the course of six months already have stories to tell about their personal experiences in the project.

In the fall of 2025, project participants visited Trakai, where they took part in chocolate workshops and tasted traditional Trakai dishes – the time spent together and the experiences became a space for sharing stories and cultural discoveries.

The project team, volunteers, and migrants also visited the MO Museum, where they took part in a tour of the new exhibition “Forever Temporary.” During the tour, participants explored contemporary artworks and took part in experiential art education. The tour encouraged participants to view modern artworks through their personal experiences, share their impressions, create a a more open atmosphere for communication, and strengthen mutual trust.

After the exhibition, the project participants were invited to a communal lunch table, where the conversations continued in an informal setting. In collaboration with the Kaunas Biennial, in January, RISE participants joined textile artist Rasma Noreikytė’s creative workshops. Magic Carpets helped to implement them. During the creative workshop, personal family recipes and memories were shared, and a communal linen tablecloth was embroidered with wishes in the participants’ native languages.

The project has a continuous line of activities and events: in the fall, a nature hike was organized, and on the last Friday in February, we visited the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theater, where we watched the ballet La Strada together.

The cultural aspect of the project purposefully strengthens community, trust, and dialogue, creating a space where integration takes place through shared experiences, art, and being together.