Beyond the news and statistics shared by the media are real people whose stories are often unheard. RAP:I:STAN has created a new information channel for students to learn about refugees and asylum seekers they hear about. Who are they? Why are they here? And how do they live? These are some of the questions the project wants to answer. By fighting ignorance through information and creative youth-to-youth dialogue, the intention is not only to reduce the isolation of young refugees but also to tackle intolerance and discrimination.

This platform for dialogue and civic participation is both a creative space for youth self-expression and an artistic playground for young people living in Copenhagen.

RAP:I:STAN was conceived to help young refugees - mainly unaccompanied and aged between 15 and 25 - tell their stories and Danish pupils to learn about asylum. The project mainly revolves around 3-stage workshops in primary schools; mostly those with a large ethnic diversity. Workshops are build as follows:

• Stage 1: Introduction to international agreements on asylum and to implications of the refugee status; by a RAP:I:STAN team (2 refugees and 2 rap coaches)
• Stage 2: Insights on how Denmark is perceived by refugees and creative solutions to community issues; by the school’s own teacher on the basis of material provided by the project team
• Stage 3: Coaching on writing skills and music techniques, specially how to create rap-music and lyrics on personal life experiences and challenges that refugees face.

The idea is to make pupils reflect on their own reality while engaging in a cultural dialogue, with the hope to affect each other's perspective. Schools which desire to host a RAP:I:STAN workshop can register online.

Other activities include further workshops in rap, poetry and storytelling held in Danish or in English at the premises of institutions dedicated to asylum seekers such as Trampolinhuset and Netværkshuset where rhythm, rhymes and storytelling are used as tools to improve Danish language skills of participants. 

Concerts are also organised to give the project a broader outreach than the primary target groups. These are mainly attended by youngsters from asylum centres as well as high school and university students. Some of the participating rappers are well-known: Ham den lange and Manus Bell for instance.

The RAP:I:STAN team has 16 refugee storytellers (10 of them are unaccompanied refugees) and 8 rap coaches. All 24 participate in the set up of workshops, events and educational material. Both groups have attended 4 dialogue-seminars facilitated by storytelling media company Forvandlende Fortællinger to strengthen their teaching methods and ability to share stories of vulnerable people.

The goal of the project was to directly reach about 1000 school students across the country by 2017. At the end of 2016, approximately 500 pupils attended 25 workshops. Given that 25 more are currently booked for the rest of the year, the objective should be reached when the project ends. 

In terms of extra activities, 4 concerts took place in 2016, including one organised in cooperation with break-dancers, rappers and visuals artists in exile. In 2017, performances at this year's edition of the international music event Roskilde Festival are planned for Syrian rap group Refugee of Rap, together with female Afghani rapper Paradise and Syrian artist Wael Toubaji who will create stage visuals highlighting the importance of cultural rights and inclusive art.

An article about rap coaches Thorbjørn (Ham den lange) and Manus Bell has been published in the Danish newspaper Information. More media coverage of the project is expected for the coming months as the team is currently in contact with journalists who wants to report on their participation in the Roskilde Festival. RAP:I:STAN also publishes blogposts on its website and participates in panel debates on the importance of art and culture in integration; at the Politikens hus in May 2016 for example, with Emmy-nominated documentary maker Lisa Russel.

A formal evaluation will take place in 2018. It is one of the requirements for receiving public funding. In the meantime, coaches and refugees have so far received very positive feedback from the teachers, students and refugees that have taken part in the project.

Young refugees aged between 15 and 25 years old are one of the main beneficiary groups. They receive education in teaching, stage performance and pedagogy and are paid the same salary as the rap coaches who see their audiences increased through the numerous workshops and concerts.

Primary school pupils are the second group of beneficiaries but represent a larger audience. They become more aware of what it means to be a refugee in Denmark, and thereby gain a thorough understanding of ethnic discrimination.

Young people in general are also targeted by this project. They can attend public concerts for example.

Rapolitics cooperates with a series of organisations to implement its activities. While storytelling media company Forvandlende Fortællinger helped with RAP:I:STAN's teaching method, independent community centre Trampolinhuset and volunteer organisation Venligboerne have contributed in identifying young people with a refugee background for the project and activity centre Netværkshuset hosts workshops.

In addition to these practical contributions, the Danish government provided more than 85.000 euros (650.000 Danish Krone) in financing to support the project through grants from the Ministry of Integration and the Agency of Culture and Palaces (the Ministry of Culture). The funding ends in December 2017 but Rapolitics is currently looking for new funders to make RAP:I:STAN financially sustainable in the long run.