A welcome song from art therapy participants in a tent camp in Petionville, Haiti 2011
The deep impact of the January 12th, 2010 earthquake continues to be felt on many levels. Now that some of the physical scars have healed, the emotional ones continue to wreak havoc. Global ARTery, in conjunction with Mercy Corps and the US State Department, are collaborating on an Art Therapy and Youth Storytelling Project designed to build on the success of existing psychosocial youth programs run by Mercy Corps in Haiti. This project is also aimed at creating a comprehensive, sustainable program to address mental health needs for emotional healing. The project will promote art therapy, narrative therapy and visual storytelling (through photography) as a therapeutic and youth empowerment mechanism through collaboration with Mercy Corps and Haitian experts. Global ARTery’s role is to work to support the following project objectives:
- To build the capacity and skill sets of up to 100 Haitian caregivers, educators, artists and youth workers to support the psychosocial needs of children and youth.
- To support adult mentors and youth workers’ ability to provide psychosocial support to 7,500 children and youth through community and school-based art therapy programming and the sponsorship of commemorative cultural events.
- To increase the number and range of educational, art therapy, and youth storytelling materials available to support caregivers including a comprehensive program manual written in both French and English.
The project culminates in an anthology book, which will include a selection of youth artwork, photos, and essays to celebrate youth voices and efforts to revitalize Haiti.
By building local capacity to support the needs of distressed youth in a community setting, this project will ensure that youth have resources in their own community to turn to and contribute to the strengthening of the social fabric in Haiti. Also, by cultivating the imagination of youth to create a narrative of hope and community engagement, the project will benefit both the individual and the greater community.
Global ARTery will works with artists, youth workers, and teachers that work with a diversity of schools, community based organizations and youth centers with a range of creative and youth development projects. Many of these organizations and schools have limited resources but have received psychosocial support training from Mercy Corps and are interested in more opportunities to receive training and support for themselves and their youth. Most youth involved in this project are aged between 10-17 years of age.
Global ARTery ARTisan, Lindsay Hurtt was extremely honored to be one of three people chosen from a pool of over 100 candidates across the US to be part of the consultant team and has felt deep gratitude towards extending the impact and healing capacity of the heART to the people of Haiti. Please click here to see photos of successful workshops already happening in Haiti.