Small Acts — Sat 10 – Fri 16 Oct 2026, Belfast
Small Acts is Voicing the Void’s annual programme of storytelling, craft and creative sessions, timed to National Hate Crime Awareness Week. Following last year’s inaugural festival, this year’s programme is deliberately smaller — seven sessions across one week, each one a small act of connection, repair and voice.
This year, Small Acts is a fundraiser. Every ticketed session runs on a three-tier sliding scale — Supported, Standard and Solidarity — so you can choose what works for you, and all proceeds go to Right to Be Heard, Voicing the Void’s lobbying group for people impacted by the criminal justice system. Free places are always available on request — nobody is turned away.
All sessions take place at Olive Tree House, apart from the closing event at Queen’s Film Theatre.
Story painting where words and colour meet, as storytellers share and the audience paints alongside them.
Sat 10 Oct, 1–3pm, Olive Tree House. £10/£20/£30 (Supported/Standard/Solidarity). Book here
Repairing what’s broken, in pottery and in story, with gold.
Sun 11 Oct, 1–4pm, Olive Tree House. Led by Rory Doherty. The Japanese craft of repairing broken pottery with gold, blended with facilitated restorative storytelling. £20/£40/£60. Book here
A gentle writing workshop distilling a single memory into just five sentences.
Tue 13 Oct, 6.30–8.30pm, Olive Tree House + online. Facilitated by Matthew Rice and Raja Obeid. £5/£10/£15. Book here
Hosted by Clare O’Neil, featuring Eyad’s story. Eyad fled his home in search of safety, hoped he’d found it in Belfast, and was forced to flee again; he now shares his story to help break down prejudice and build real belonging.
Wed 14 Oct, 2–4pm, Olive Tree House. £5/£10/£15. Book here
‘Eyad’ is not his real name — it has been changed to protect his identity.
An informal evening to meet the community behind the lobbying group.
Wed 14 Oct, 7–9pm, Olive Tree House. Free, drop-in — no booking needed.
A relaxed session focused on rest, wellbeing and self-care.
Thu 15 Oct, 6–8pm, Olive Tree House. Led by Swapnali De. £5/£10/£15. Book here
A celebration in film, poetry and spoken word for everyone who took part.
Fri 16 Oct, 3.30–5pm, Queen’s Film Theatre. Celebration for everyone who completed VTV’s OCN Level 1 course, certificates presented by Geraldine Hanna, Commissioner Designate for Victims of Crime. Pay-what-you-can. Book here
Some work includes themes of violence, loss and discrimination — a VTV team member is available throughout and you’re free to step out at any point.
Small Acts is run by Voicing the Void, supported by core funding from the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust and The National Lottery Community Fund. The Friday 16 October closing event also marks the culmination of our Belfast City Council Community Recovery Fund work, delivered in partnership with Queen’s Film Theatre and Queen’s University Belfast Civic Engagement.
