Building Peace Through Art: Istanbul 2026

Your Breaking Walls family and I trust that you’re doing well today. Our artists continue to soar and inspire each other and the world…

• Sarajevo artist, Runi, was awarded a scholarship for Yale University’s summer International Relations program for high school students..

• Yerevan artist Katrin, who participated in the Yerevan summit in 2022 and the Palermo summit in 2023, is choosing to study abroad, too, saying, “Those days of Breaking Walls are captured as the most memorable and beautiful days of my youth. Through Breaking Walls, I developed skills such as problem-solving and leadership, which led me to discover myself anew and decide to continue my education abroad. Thanks to the broadened perspectives I gained due to BW, I found the courage to move out of my city and away from my friends and family to study in Madrid. I got accepted into Schiller University in Madrid, and BW influenced my decision.”

• After a hiatus, Detroit artist/leadership apprentice Dwayne reconnected with Breaking Walls because he missed the creative and personal safety and the space for authenticity we provide. Dwayne is guiding BW-style workshops for ESA (Every SoulArts), a non-profit in Detroit.

Can you understand the impact of BW and why our young artists need to come together in July for the Summit?

You may have noticed that the title of our host city has shifted from Sarajevo to Istanbul. We pivoted to Istanbul after our Sarajevo Logistics Team reported the rising political uncertainty in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Our Istanbul Logistics Team assures us we will be safe and welcome here! Still, fundraising to meet the required budget remains challenging despite our enthusiasm for reuniting our global artists and peace-makers in Istanbul this July.

Breaking Walls and I want to be transparent about fundraising and your generous support. We have held GlobalGiving campaigns, submitted multiple grant proposals, and requested sponsorship from over 25 organizations, sports figures, institutions, and corporations, yet we fall short. We have set a hard deadline of June 1st to secure the full budget.

We are now in the final moments of " Will it happen?” Every penny raised so far is going into an escrow-style account to prepare for the next summit program, which hopefully will be this July in Istanbul!!

We will keep you posted on our journey to reach the financial goal to reach Istanbul!

With all ur love and appreciation!