Artivism has been a unique cultural exchange for young people who study theatre, have just started a theatre career, or are involved with youth theatres or cultural youth work. The exchange brought together Irish and Palestinian youth in Ramallah, Palestine. It was supposed to be held in July 2020 but was postponed to July 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequential problems in traveling abroad. In 2021 the participants came together online 4 times to share workshops and get to know each other. In July 2021 there was an online conference where Peter Hussey made a digital presentation on behalf of Crooked House, and where a play made by each group of young people was shown digitally to each other. This kept the groups engaged and eager to meet in 2022. From 1st to 11th July 2022 the participants lived together in one place (including two travel days), engaging in a programme of workshops, discussions, theatre devising sessions, and cultural exchange. They collaborated with Palestinian, Irish, and British artists who helped them to express their common values and to share experiences through theatre. The main theme was how theatre can change communities through freedom of expression. The groups of participants performed pieces that had been prepared beforehand, specifically for the project. Moreover, during the workshops they developed and devised a piece - involving different forms of theatre and arts - that was supposed to be performed on the last day of the exchange through the streets of Ramallah. Constructive dialogue and freedom of expression were at the heart of the encounter, exploring how theatre can be used to provoke change and inspire social justice. The Irish group had the opportunity to experience the situation that their peers are living in Palestine. This successfully developed their awareness of the situation and encouraged them to be more involved in sociopolitical justice movements. It encouraged, as well, the group of people from Ireland to look more closely at Europe's borders and to, perhaps, campaign for greater solidarity with Palestinian youth. In September after they returned they hosted the Lajee Cultural group in Newbridge and in October they took part in an International Day of Solidarity With the Palestinian People. The Palestinian young people were, on the other hand, inspired by the artistic work of the Irish when they discovered how Irish young people use art to argue for social change. Palestinian young artists cannot move easily between cities and it is very difficult for them to go abroad, so this encounter was important to help break the isolation a little and expose them to international young people using theatre as they do. For the Palestinian group of participants, it has been important to feel that they are not alone and that the rest of the world is not completely ignoring what is happening to them. Moreover, they have been able to share the difficulties and the obstacles they face as artists there, experiencing two forms of oppression at the same time. Artivism also permitted a creative dialogue between youth and professional mentors which will ideally inspire the development of future work and enhance the employment prospects of future artists. The main objectives of the exchange were: 1. To create a platform to exchange cultural and social experiences between Palestinian and Irish young people involved in theatre. 2. To share experiences about how theatre can both raise awareness of injustice issues and also provoke social change 3. To develop theatre skills for the participants and thereby enhance their employability in this sector. 4. To engage the local Palestinian audiences with theatre made collaboratively by the Irish and Palestinian young people. 5. To engage both groups in a deeper understanding of the plight of refugee people on Europe's borders. Each group prepared a performance about the most urgent social issue(s) they face daily, which they brought to the encounter. They then performed these pieces, free, to public audiences in Ramallah’s theaters. Namely, the theatres in which the pieces were performed have been: Ramallah Municipality Theatre, Kasaba Theatre, and Ashtar Theatre. The Irish Special Envoy to Palestine attended the events and met with the Irish group for a discussion afterwards. Each day the groups worked collaboratively to create a new performance based on their shared values with theatre-makers Peter Hussey (Crooked House Ireland), Iman Aoun (Ashtar, Palestine) Yasmin Sidhwa (Mandala Theatre, Oxford UK), and Smoking Apples Puppetry (UK). The UK groups were separately funded by Ashrat and the British Council. The performance, taking the form of an artistic parade, was due to be shown on the last day of the exchange in the streets of Ramallah but was cancelled for safety reasons. It was the last day of Ramadan and tensions in the city were high, so it was considered best to have an indoor event instead.