REstART 2025 – call for proposals

Invitation for artists, creative practitioners, and facilitators to be part of
REstART 2025 (Leuven, 6-9 December).

Send your proposal by 1st June 2025

The REstART Festival invites artists, creative practitioners, and facilitators to contribute to an inspiring and thought-provoking programme exploring the intersection of arts and restorative justice. Hosted in Leuven, Belgium, on 6-9 December 2025, this festival will bring together artists, justice practitioners, and communities to explore how creativity can transform individuals’ and communities’ experiences of harm, violence and injustice by engaging into a dialogue with the “difficult other”.

We are seeking proposals for participatory workshops, interactive experiences, artistic interventions and/or films and documentary screenings that engage participants in meaningful dialogue and creative expression related to restorative justice and any other forms of dialogue between conflicting parties.

More information on REstART here

Who Can Apply?

We welcome proposals from visual artists, performers, storytellers, musicians, writers, filmmakers, theatre makers, (young) creative minds, and multidisciplinary imaginative professionals who are passionate about using the arts and creative methodologies as a tool to explore, discuss or contribute to dialogue, justice and social change and/or as a tool for raising awareness about restorative justice values and principles.

Submission & Deadline

Please send your proposal by 1st June 2025 via the EFRJ webform below.

Selected contributors will be contacted by the end of June, and we will work closely with them to integrate their proposals into the festival programme.

Submit your proposal here

Proposal Guidelines

The webform to submit your proposal will ask you for the following details (shared here to best prepare your application):

1. Proposer(s) details

Name and surname
Contact details: Email
Company/ collective/ organisation’s name (website, if applicable)
Country
Short bio(s) and any relevant links to previous work (max. 200 words)

2. Workshop / Artistic Proposal

Title of your workshop/performance/installation (max. 10 words).
Type/ genre of the contribution(s) - e.g. interactive participatory workshop, presentation, guided walk, performing arts (music, theatre, dance), film/ documentary screening, storytelling, personal testimonies, poetry, book presentation, exhibition (photos, drawings, painting, sculpture), installations, other.
Description and relevance of the activity: What is your plan and how does it connect with restorative justice? (max. 200 words).
Target audience - e.g., general public, a specific age group, justice professionals, survivors, etc. (max. 50 words).
Language - audio/ subtitles/ presentation (max. 10 words).

3. Logistics & Technical Requirements

Duration of the session: how much time would you need for your workshop/ performance? (max. 50 words).
Preferred location: e.g., indoor/outdoor, size of the space, special setting requirements (max. 50 words).
Materials needed: list any equipment, art supplies, technology, props, that has to be provided by the local organisers etc. (max 50 words).
Upload your technical teaser (if you have one) as doc, docx, or pdf

4. Support Needed

What is the estimated budget needed for participation? (max. 100 words).
For the EFRJ budget, we need to know if you can (fully or partially) self-fund your participation. Please specify what % of the budget estimation you would need the EFRJ and/or its sponsors to cover for your participation (0%, +- 25%, +- 50%, +- 75%, 100%)
If you can cover 100% of your costs, would you like your name, or your sponsor, to be listed among the festival’s supporters? (max. 100 words).
If you cannot cover 100% of your costs, what type of financial support would you need? (Check boxes: travel, accommodation, subsistence, fees, other).

Selection Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on:

Artistic originality and relevance to restorative justice and the festival’s concept.
Interactivity and the potential to engage the audience.
Feasibility (time, space, materials, budget).
Diversity of perspectives and inclusivity.

About REstART Festival

REstART Festival is an initiative by the European Forum for Restorative Justice (EFRJ), in collaboration with Leuven Restorative City and other members of the EFRJ, bringing together artists, justice practitioners, and communities to explore new artistic approaches to restorative dialogue and justice. Through performances, workshops, and interactive experiences, we aim to reimagine new models of justice that go beyond punishment and move toward individual and community healing.

We look forward to your creative proposals! Feel free to reach out with any questions (Emanuela Biffi & Bálint Juhász): info@euforumrj.org .

More info: www.euforumrj.org/restart-2025

Photo credits: "The dance" - Leanda Xavian's photo on Flickr.com

European Forum for Restorative Justice vzw
Herbert Hooverplein 10, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
+32 466209112 / info@euforumrj.org
Company number: 0474 656 137
Register of legal entities (Rechtspersonenregister): RPR Leuven

This page has been created with the financial support of the Justice Programme of the European Union

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