n up your school now to take part (offsite link)
Partner schools and organisations will be supported to:
- explore themes of empathy, identity and shared humanity through creative lessons
- create self-portraits and messages for "a friend they have not yet met"
- be part of local exhibitions that bring together children's artwork in public spaces
- contribute to international exhibitions at Friends House, London and the global Drawing Hope initiative which exhibits artwork around the world
The project is completely free for schools and youth organisations. All artwork must be submitted by 31 March 2027, although deadlines for regional exhibitions may fall earlier.
Why this work matters
We live in a time of increasing division and polarisation, including here in Britain. Children and young people can be drawn into narrow or oppositional ways of seeing others.
Drawing Hope offers a simple but powerful alternative. By creating and sharing self-portraits and messages of greeting, children are encouraged to recognise their shared humanity with others – locally, nationally and globally.
This kind of connection is at the heart of peacebuilding.
The story of Drawing Hope
Drawing Hope began as a project of solidarity and peace in response to the deep division between the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea)
During the Cold War era, children in South Korea were encouraged to draw pictures of children in North Korea as devils, with horns and tails, fuelling fear and hostility towards people across the border. Since then, the South Korean organisation Okedongmu – whose name describes a friendship that is shoulder-to-shoulder – have invited children to draw self-portraits and send a message to children across the border. Through this simple act, children could portray themselves and therefore share their common humanity. This exchange led to a historic meeting of North and South Korean children.
The project has since become global, with exhibitions bringing together children's artwork from different countries and contexts, creating spaces of shared humanity.
Find out more: www.drawinghope.net
Drawing Hope in Britain
Following an exhibition at Friends House in London in April 2026, Quakers in Britain's Peace Education team is developing Drawing Hope with partners across Britain.
Working with schools and communities, we aim to create opportunities for children and young people to connect across differences, share their hopes for the future and contribute to a growing national and international conversation about peace.
Project aims
Through Drawing Hope, we aim to:
- help children recognise their shared humanity with others
- create opportunities for dialogue about hopes for peace
- bring people of different generations together through exhibitions and conversation
- support schools to engage with peace education in meaningful ways
- build new relationships with schools and communities, strengthening our wider peace education work across England, Scotland and Wales
Project timetable
- School sign ups - summer 2026 - Wales, Scotland and England
- School delivery - autumn 2026 - Wales, Scotland and England
- Local exhibitions - spring 2027 - Manchester, Cardiff, Bristol and more
- London exhibition - spring 2027 - Friends House
- School follow-up opportunities - spring 2027 - Wales, Scotland and England
- Trans-local exhibitions - from summer 2027 - global!
Join the project
If you are a school, educator or organisation interested in supporting the project, we would love to hear from you.
Sign up your school now to take part (offsite link)