The image is simple…a photograph taken in a large outdoor square in Athens, or Manchester or New York City. We see a young child, perhaps 5 or 6 years old, smile and reach up to take the hand of little Amal to walk beside her. They walk in silence as crowds watch, witnessing this small gentle act of generosity and connection. 

Little Amal is a 3.5-meter puppet of a 10-year-old Syrian refugee child. She is walking to find home. She is walking to find her mother. Since 2021, she has travelled over 9000 km in 13 countries. Everywhere she goes, she is welcomed by thousands of people who dance, sing, play instruments, carry signs of welcome and walk with her. 

The story of Little Amal began in the mind and heart of Amir Nizar Zuabi, an award-winning playwright and director, as he thought about the plight of displaced children across the world. Zuabi says, “Little Amal’s journeys seek to change the narrative surrounding refugees and migrants, towards the contributions and potential they carry within them, including the hope they bring as they build a new life and livelihood, enhancing communities as they do so”.

The Walk has been described as ‘the most ambitious public art project ever attempted’ winning the ‘Time Out Public Art Award’ for 2021 and being named New York City’s No. 1 Art Event of 2022 by Time Out as well as one of the Best Theatre events of 2022 by the New York Times.

From June 7 to 11th, Little Amal will be in Toronto as part of the Luminato Festival in partnership with The Walk Productions Ltd. I was recently asked, by my friend and Luminato producer, Caroline Hollway, to assist with reaching out to schools about this remarkable project. 

I have been privileged to work in schools and communities for almost 40 years to advocate for and support artistic exchanges between professional artists and young people. Foundational to these exchanges are many incredible teachers and community leaders with a commitment to artistic collaboration.  From my early days in popular theatre and community arts, to developing engagement programs for young people while at Canadian Stage and Prologue Performing Arts to my current position with the Gryphon Trio supporting year-long artistic residencies in schools across the country, I have been consistently honoured to partner with remarkable educators and community members. What we all share is how we have been consistently inspired by the way that people, particularly children, can so effortlessly open themselves up to the experiences of others through the creative process. 

 Central to every project I have ever worked on, whether successfully achieved or not, is the understanding that every child has the right to creatively share their story and to experience the stories of others. Through those stories we weave together the world - the one we see and the one we hope for.  But, of course, that reality and hope manifests differently depending on our unique circumstances. How the world can and might look for displaced people is often unknown to most of us.

My knowledge of the plight of refugees is informed primarily through the eyes of mainstream media. As I scanned the Walk with Amal website (https://www.walkwithamal.org/), I saw crowds of people, young and old, of every culture, faith, background, language and experience gathering in the streets of their town or city. They came to share dances, songs, lanterns of light, paper butterflies and birds, drumming circles, orchestral pieces, murals, stories… with a giant puppet. That puppet, made of cane and carbon fibre, controlled by a team of 4 artists, is that displaced child who they all wanted to celebrate and welcome. I was reminded, again, of the profound power of art and also immediately swept into my own internal questions of how I and my community welcome and value newcomers. 

How we have those conversations and particularly, how we have them with young people, is reflected in these events of welcome for little Amal. This project offers the rare opportunity for all community members to actively and creatively engage  with this child; to consider what she, and all refugees might experience, dream about, need and bring to their new home(s). 

The Walk with Amal creative team has carefully and sensitively structured the project to invite and encourage the participation of community members in both informal and organized ways. Amal will walk through many areas of the city and beyond including Scarborough, Thorncliffe, Mississauga, Regent Park/the Esplanade, Brampton, the Harbourfront. Performances and visual arts pieces are being prepared by arts and cultural organizations, community groups, settlement associations. A comprehensive Education Package providing multiple, accessible, age-appropriate activities and resources is offered to all educators and interested individuals with a focus on the core themes of Amal’s journey: Home, Migration, Fear, Climate, Adventure and Welcome. Workshops led by professional artists are being offered to select school groups to create their own symbols of welcome.  A virtual workshop, facilitated by project creators, is offered to teachers wanting to support more meaningful engagement for their students.

In my mind, at the centre of all of this work and the huge amount of human and financial resources that it requires, is that image of a child’s hand wrapped around Amal’s 8-inch finger. As people respond with such warmth and joy, with hearts breaking, with laughter, tears, with bursts of creative energy and quiet contemplation…the connections are clear. That child reaches up to Amal with an open imagination and an open heart. Amal invites every child, whether managing trauma and displacement, or simply working through the complexities of growing up in a complicated world, to face their own challenges through their unique creative potential and their compassion. 

To find out more information about The Walk Toronto and how your group or school can be involved contact: education@luminato.com or pattyrjarvis@gmail.com

Photos provided by the author.