Stories

Ilse van Stokkum, Clemens Tomlow & Samira

Netherlands / Syria

When we entered the community centre in Arnhem, we did not know what to expect. We began by talking about freedom. Some designers described sunshine, family and the sound of the sea. Others spoke of blood, bombs and a mother's scream. One participant said peace was something they could no longer imagine.

For Clemens, who had grown up safely in the Netherlands, that moment changed everything. "I realised this wasn't about me. Not even in the slightest." Together with Samira and Ilse, he translated their conversations about safety, respect and belonging into two flags.

One design shows how our lives are interwoven. We do not create the world alone: we shape it together by collaborating, supporting one another and making space for each other.

Throughout the workshop, designing and talking became inseparable. By asking questions and acknowledging differences, three people who had never met began creating together. The flags are about unity - but the real experience of unity happened while making them.