Through the projects that it supports, the Sommer Foundation aims to stimulate the minds of children and youngsters and make them more inquisitive so that they can participate in our society through the medium of culture and the arts. It encourages the creation of new forms of cooperation between partners from different communities and with different viewpoints, so that the people and cultures in Luxembourg may understand each other better.
Supported projects
Whisper of Roses
The Whisper of Roses project aimed to create a 20-minute multidisciplinary performance in the stunning gardens of Ansembourg Castle, featuring 4 dancers, 1 acrobat and 2 musicians. This performance was part of the European Heritage Days in Luxembourg. Beyond the creation of the performance, the project sought to provide a space for young movers and those interested in storytelling through dance, fostering creativity and exploration of new environments.
It offered music students and young dancers valuable hands-on experience in a professional artistic production, helping them develop new skills and techniques while immersing themselves in a unique setting. Participants drew inspiration from nature and the historic surroundings, experiencing the beauty of the gardens while engaging in self-connection, expression, and meditation.
FLUENCY
The FLUENCY project, led by choreographers Nora Noush and Alicia Cano, offered an immersive space combining Hip Hop dance, visual arts, and acrobatics. Through participatory workshops, young participants explored their creativity, gaining confidence and skills. The final event blended an exhibition, performances, and a DJ set, transforming a neutral space into a hub for artistic exchange.
“The FLUENCY project has evolved our structure and concept by enriching our artistic approach through interdisciplinarity, strengthening our community engagement via participatory workshops, and showcasing immersive and collaborative creations. It has enabled us to develop new skills in project management and performance production while increasing our visibility and involvement in the artistic and educational community.” (Nora Noush)
Les ateliers de la Maison Sourrire
As part of this project, the associations Sourrire and Ryse joined forces to organize artistic and well-being workshops aimed at strengthening family bonds in a complex migratory context. From May to September 2024, painting and writing workshops helped 80 children and young people, along with their families, overcome isolation and discover therapeutic tools. Art served as a means of expression and communication for all participants, regardless of their linguistic origins. The regained confidence fostered integration, notably through participation in other activities such as language courses offered by the project organizers.
The project concluded with a public event where several refugees, through the writing workshops, shared their moving stories. They provided an intimate and authentic perspective on the challenges faced by those seeking refuge and safety in a new country. For many, it was the first time they spoke publicly about these past and ongoing hardships.
Rap Däi Liewen
Through the “Rap Däi Liewen” project, the Zentrum fir politesch Bildung (ZpB), in collaboration with the Internat Saint-Willibrord, organized a series of hip-hop workshops led by rapper Nicool for the boarding school’s youth. Participants also took part in an introduction to rap music and visited the interactive Den DemokratieLabo exhibition at the Trifolion. The goal was to raise awareness among young people about what democracy means for them, helping them understand democratic processes and current societal challenges. This awareness aimed to show them they have the means to engage as citizens and participate in political and public debates.
Based on themes from the exhibition (such as participation, polarization, human rights, prejudice, or inequality), the young participants created a collective rap song. Inspired by these topics, they chose to focus on poverty and discrimination, linking these issues to their personal experiences.
The group co-wrote the song, which was then recorded, mixed, and mastered to be showcased at the boarding school’s summer celebration and distributed as a keepsake. Through this project, the youth gained self-confidence and used rap music as a form of protest against the injustices they had faced.
Sonorités émergentes
Cube Records is a non-profit organization in Luxembourg, founded by three young music enthusiasts. Dedicated to music production and supporting young artists, the association’s mission is to guide emerging talents by offering them comprehensive support, from mixing to recording.
In collaboration with the Maison de Jeunes in Esch-sur-Alzette, Cube offers a unique educational program for young people aged 12 to 20. This project includes several immersive workshops where participants learn the basics of musical composition, lyric writing, and arrangement. They then move on to studio recording, working with sound engineers to capture their creations. Experienced musicians and producers mentor the young artists throughout the process, helping them refine their style and technical skills.
The workshops are not limited to music. The participants also take part in designing the album cover, thus exploring their visual creativity. Finally, a music promotion workshop teaches them how to launch and promote an album through social media and streaming platforms.
With this project, Cube asbl aims to create a positive impact on the community by fostering creativity, social inclusion, and personal development among the young participants.
_First A/V
“_First A/V” is an educational and collaborative project introducing the creation of a digital, interactive, and immersive audio-visual performance. A guide and “Blurb,” an all-purpose tool containing everything needed for a mobile immersive installation, immerse a classroom simultaneously into the worlds of live video generation and music production. “_First A/V” makes the creative process accessible and understandable, enabling students to freely express themselves afterwards. Each student sees their personal touch take shape. In a commitment to inclusion and sustainability, “Blurb” serves as an example to younger generations that it’s possible to achieve a lot with very little.
With this project, artists Zohra Mrad and Damiano Picci aim to transform how art and technology are perceived and integrated into the educational curriculum. By offering a more interactive and immersive approach, the project leaders hope to spark greater interest in these fields among children, while emphasizing the importance of creativity and innovation in their learning process.
Stell Dir vor, es wäre...
As part of weekly dance classes, two dance ensembles from Trisomie 21 asbl Luxembourg, in collaboration with dance educator Sandra Beck, are developing a multidisciplinary performance for World Down Syndrome Day in 2025.
This performance will reflect a journey through shared images and “portraits” of the various dancers, emerging from a participatory process. During a painting workshop, the participants will create images and paintings that represent how they see themselves or how they would like to see themselves. These artworks will then be brought to life through dance and presented as part of the performance, accompanied by original music and sound recordings in which the dancers share something about themselves.
The team will ensure that the wishes of each individual are respected, and each dancer will be supported according to their abilities, so that everyone has the opportunity to express something about themselves (through movement) in the way they choose.
Arts & Potager (2024)
The “Arts & Potager” project is entering its second edition. Launched in 2022 by Canopée asbl, this project consists of a program aimed at introducing creative, gardening, and culinary practices to the childcare centers in the Pfaffenthal neighborhood, as well as to the wider community. Alternating with workshops on gardening basics and raising awareness about sustainable development, artists lead creative workshops related to the fauna and flora of Canopée’s garden. The goal is to teach children, from a very young age, how to care for the land and to pass on valuable skills. For this new edition of the project, the circle of partners will be expanded, and two calls for artist residencies at Canopée will be launched to involve artists in the project for a longer period.
We-Learn, Create & Connect
The “We-Learn, Create & Connect” project is an educational and intercultural initiative succeeding the “Read, Write, Create and Go” project, which was completed in August 2023 and funded by the Sommer Foundation. It aims to address gaps in informal education for children and young people in migrant and refugee reception centers in Luxembourg.
The planned musical and dance activities will allow beneficiaries to immerse themselves in the cultures represented within the group. In summary, the project’s name reflects its community dimension (“WE”) as a local action; its educational aspect (“LEARN”), where the teaching team shares its expertise and learns from the participants; its creative component (“CREATE”), which fosters creativity; and its relational aspect (“CONNECT”), which builds or strengthens interpersonal connections among all participants. The activities are designed to provide a supportive extracurricular environment that promotes cultural awareness, psychomotor skills, imagination, creativity, and autonomy, aiming to encourage the emotional, social, and educational development of children and young people from disadvantaged families.
What is Heemecht?
“Heemecht” is an educational project that was conducted with several primary and secondary school classes in Luxembourg. To gather material through exchanges with students and their teachers for a professional theatrical performance, an exploration of the theme of “homeland” (Heemecht) was undertaken. What does my homeland taste like? What does my homeland smell like? Is there a difference for me between the terms “home,” “house,” “homeland,” and if so, what is it?
The artists Piera Jovic, Fabienne Elaine Hollwege, and Laetitia Lang also collaborated with students from the National School for Adults to offer an artistic approach to the subject through movement and dance workshops. Together, they created a theatrical performance in which the audience was guided by 16 young people in search of their homeland. Through text, movement, and music, they all attempted to find an answer, or at least an approach, to what Heemecht means to them.