In refugee reception centers, there is a strong need for more meaningful activities for children and young people. Life in these centers—often following a traumatic flight experience—is stressful and can even be re-traumatizing. Children and adolescents spend many hours with little to do, which can have negative emotional and behavioral consequences.

During the 2026–2027 school year, CREA THERA aims to implement a structural programme of music-therapeutic sessions for children and young people in five asylum seeker reception centers (two in West Flanders, one in Ghent, and two in Brussels). This will allow more groups of children (up to 12 years old) and adolescents (13–18) to participate more frequently than is possible with occasional activities.

Objective: to support integration; break through isolation and loneliness; foster connection and a positive atmosphere; and mobilize and strengthen resilience and empowerment (personal resources). Music is a universal language that reduces stress and generates a sense of dignity and belonging within this vulnerable population.

Musical Stories of Refugees in Reception Centers: a Creative and Therapeutic Journey for Children, Young People, and Adults

WE STAND is a creative, music-therapeutic project in two refugee reception centers. Over the course of ten school months, vulnerable children, young people, and adults work together on a musical performance about their lives in a reception center. The project emphasizes resilience and connection—among participants, with their own stories, and with the local community. It culminates in a public presentation in which their stories, talents, resilience, and the power of togetherness take center stage.