About the project
The aim of the PeaceAct project is to bring peace education closer to people and show that peace means more than simply the absence of war. It is also about how we communicate with each other, support one another, deal with differences and live together in our communities.
We wanted to give young people the opportunity to explore these topics and find creative ways to share their ideas with others. We chose street art because artworks in public spaces can reach and engage a wide range of people.
About the campaign
PeaceAct began with a campaign organised in cooperation with Caffeine in June-July 2026. Café visitors received a stamp card where, after collecting three stamps, the fourth coffee was free (to enjoy oneself or share with someone who might need it).
On the back of each card was a question inviting people to pause for a moment and reflect on their values, relationships with others and the world around them. There were five different questions in total.
The PeaceAct campaign was visited by 430 people, and 320 coffees were freely redeemed.
The answers collected during the campaign became the starting point for the “PeaceAct kamp”, organized from 10th to 13th of August in Kloogaranna Puhkeküla together with 10 young people aged 16 to 22 years old.
The young people read and analysed the responses, identified the different values reflected in them and chose the ones that resonated with them the most. They then explored how these values could be expressed visually. Together with three professional artists (@mintyshrimp, @groshevaart and @makuism), they developed their ideas and turned them into three very different murals.
For most of the participants, this was their first experience with street art. Each group worked together with a professional artist who helped them develop their ideas, taught them the necessary techniques and supported them throughout the painting process. After two days of painting, all three murals were completed, and the young people were very proud of what they had created:
The mural at J. Poska 36c reflects on the importance of small acts of kindness and supporting one another through characters inspired by Kadriorg animals. A fox comforts an upset dog with a hug, a swan brings a cinnamon bun for comfort, and even the birds share kind words and compliments. The animals are very different from one another, and this is an important part of the message: small acts of kindness can bring very different people together and make someone’s day a little better.
The mural at Maneeži 5 explores community, cooperation and mutual support. The tree symbolises life, strength and shared roots, while ants represent cooperation and birds, freedom and hope. The fruits represent what can grow when people contribute and work together. Living in a society means that we do not always have to act alone: we can support one another and create a meaningful and rich ecosystem together.
The central theme of the artwork at A. Weizenbergi 7 is harmony, expressed through music and the surrounding environment. The left side represents the Baltic Sea, which lies in that direction, while the garden and gazebo on the right represent Kadriorg, where the mural is located. In the centre, hands and music bring these elements together. The pentagram is a fragment from one of composer Mart Saar’s works, connecting the mural to Estonia’s musical heritage.
More than murals
The murals also have an educational purpose. Each artwork includes information about its story and meaning, as well as a QR code leading to interactive activities related to peace education. Teachers, youth workers, school groups and other interested people can use these activities to explore topics such as values, cooperation, caring for others and peace with young people.
About the project
“PeaceAct” aims to foster Peace Education (PE) among youth workers in Estonia, Finland, Slovenia and Georgia, enhancing their capacities to promote peace, democracy, and social cohesion in their communities. By facilitating knowledge-sharing, organizational capacity-building, and the creation of national and transnational networks, the project seeks to enhance the quality and innovation of youth work, and empower youth workers to effectively promote active citizenship among young people.
Project period: November 2024 – April 2027
Project donor: Erasmus+
Project partners: Inštitut Središče zagovorništva (Slovenia), XAMK – South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (Finland), World of Tolerance (Georgia), Shokkin Group and Mondo (Estonia)