Abstract
Poetry is a powerful tool for expression. The European Court of Human Rights affords special protection to poetic expressions under the freedom of expression by restricting states from encroaching on the freedom of poetic expression. Therefore, the paper looks into how poetry as an artistic practice enables young migrants and their peers in host communities to reflect upon the limitations of the cultural rights` policies of host states, and how these limitations lead to discrimination and inequality. Empirical evidence from our creative hubs in
South Tyrol (Italy) created under the AMIF-VOLPOWER-Project to train and enable young migrants to express their life experience through the use of poetry shows the existence of discrimination, inequality, and isolation feelings in the participant minds. Therefore, the paper advocates for the use of poetry and other artistic expressions, within and outwith of research, to promote cultural rights of the people belonging to national minorities and inform the policy makers of the real-life situation from the migrants` perspective. Furthermore, the paper provides some insights regarding useful techniques to facilitate the work, motivate the
group and set up “rules of the game” that can be essential for establishing an enabling environment for producing creative content.