Overview by Jessica Evans
Dr. Lella Nouri of Swansea University founded the 'Flip the Streets' initiative. The project commenced in May 2023, initially funded by Race Council Cymru and now in its second phase being funded through Swansea Council’s Community Safety Partnership. The main objectives of this effort are to:
- Raise awareness about the importance of eliminating hate visuals and speech from communities.
- Empower local youth and broader communities to see their perspectives and values represented.
- Aiming to provide a platform for community groups to take control and eradicate hateful behaviour and visuals within their communities.
- Present a proactive response to hate speech and crime by involving community members in designing artwork to cover instances of vandalism.
The project, working alongside Fresh Creative uses art inspired initiatives to deliver and present on projects. In Swansea to date, this collaboration has included events held at the Evolve Hub in Gorseinon, Manselton Community Centre and most recently in Swansea City Centre. These events aim to use hate graffiti as a starting point of conversation with community groups with the purpose of de-normalising hate and using positive representations of graffiti, created by the community groups involved to showcase thought-provoking artwork that confronts and denounces hate in Wales.
Previous projects have attracted a diverse array of volunteers and participants, including representatives from South Wales Police, Swansea Council, Counter-Terrorism Policing, local Councillors, and youth workers from Evolve.
