Virtual Creativity Camp for Positive Mental Health

Dear Change Growers,

Thank you so much for continuously supporting the promotion of positive mental health among youth from marginalized families and communities.

We have recently published and distributed a new coffee table book titled "Deep Breath: Creative Youth Expressions of Healing." This book showcases the creative expressions of youth who participated in the arts camp held in Williamsport, PA, and has been distributed to all youth participants and partner organizations.

"Deep Breath" is a collection of creative expressions created by youth for youth, designed to initiate conversations around mental wellness among themselves, their families, and their communities. If you are interested in obtaining a hard copy of the book, please reach out to us via email, and we will gladly send you a copy.

We will continue to support youth through our e-learning program, which focuses on using creative arts to promote positive mental health. Additionally, we are preparing for our 2023 summer workshop for youth in the Bronx, NYC.

We highly appreciate your support and encouragement of our youth-led mental health initiatives.

Thank you!

Sincerely,

Siva Mathiyazhagan

Links:

• Creative Arts for Positive Mental Health E-Learning Program

Happy New Year! Let's hope for a healthy and joyful 2023 for you and everyone. 

Thank you so much for your continuous support for TYCL's creative arts for positive mental health initiatives. 

We are finalizing our creative arts for positive mental health program curriculum into Spanish to offer culturally responsive programs for Spanish-speaking youth in the US and expand our creative arts for positive mental health programs in Mexico and Colombia through local partners. We are hoping to launch a program in spring 2023. 

After completion of the community mural in the Bronx, New York, we took time to self-reflect on our mental health programs through creative arts. Although there was no direct program implemented in the communities during this reporting period, It helped us to review our mental health program approach and community engagement, and develop new strategies for culturally responsive mental health programs in 2023 off and online. We will keep you updated on the new programs soon! 

Thank you once again for supporting and encouraging our positive mental health initiatives for young people. 

Let’s together make mental health matter for you, everyone, and everywhere.

In Solidarity, 

Siva Mathiyazhgan

Thank you so much for your continuous support for TYCL's creative arts for positive mental health initiatives. 

As highlighted in the last report, TYCL International collaborated with Circle of Dreams to co-create a mural for community resilience. In addition to the COVID-19 crisis, beginning of 2022, The Bronx community experienced the country's third-worst residential fire. This fire affected predominantly poor, working-class, African immigrant families living on Section 8 vouchers in the Bronx, New York City. To reboot the community's strength and resilience, TYCL International and Circle of Dreams jointly co-organized a community mural to express and heal their feelings through mural art. The mural art was successfully completed this summer. We are planning to work with Circle of Dreams to continue our creative arts for mental health programs for young people in the community. 

We are also in the process of translating our creative arts for positive mental health program curriculum into Spanish to offer culturally responsive programs for Spanish-speaking youth in the US and expand our creative arts for positive mental health programs in Mexico and Colombia through local partners. 

Thank you once again for your support and encouragement of our positive mental health initiatives. 

In Solidarity, 

Siva Mathiyazhgan

Thank you so much for your continuous support for TYCL's creative arts for positive mental health. 

The Deep Breath: Creative Youth Expressions of Healing! book is ready to be launched in the summer of 2022 with youth participants and all the stakeholders in Williamsport, PA. Copy of the book is available on request at admin@tyclinternational.org.

There has been a continuous request from parents for the creative arts for positive mental health workshops in the Williamsport area. We are in the process of developing a hybrid program curriculum and resource mobilization to launch a new program in the Williamsport region. 

In addition, TYCL International is also collaborating with Circle of Dreams to co-create a mural for community resilience. Beginning of 2022, The Bronx community experienced the country's third-worst residential fire. This fire affected predominantly poor, working-class, African immigrant families living on Section 8 vouchers in Bronx, New York City. To reboot the community's strength and resilience, TYCL International and Circle of Dreams jointly co-creating a community mural to express and heal their feelings through mural art. The mural will be completed by end of summer 2022. We will keep you posted on further updates. 

Thank you once again for your support and encouragement of our positive mental health initiatives. 

In Solidarity, 

Siva Mathiyazhgan

Dear Change Growers, 

Thank you so much for your continuous support to promote positive mental health of youth from marginalized families and communities. 

We are in the process of publishing and launching a new coffee table book “Deep Breath: Creative Youth Expressions of Healing” from the youth creative arts camp in Williamsport, PA. 

Deep Breath is a collection of creative expressions by and for youth to initiate mental wellness conversations among themselves, and with their families and community. 

These artworks are the outcome of a five-day workshop on creative arts for positive mental health held in the month of June 2021 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, USA. The workshop invited youth to explore ways of using lines, shapes, and colors to express and vent out their feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression in creative ways. 

The e-book will be available on google books and hard copies of the book will be launched in Williamsport, PA with youth and their families. All the youth participants will get their copy of the book. We will share the e-book link to you right after the launch. 

We will continue our creative arts for positive mental health e-learning program to support youth. We are also preparing for the summer workshop for the youth in the Bronx, NYC. 

We highly appreciate your support and encouragement for our youth-led mental health initiatives. 

Thank you!

In Solidarity, 

Siva Mathiyazhagan

Links:

• Creative Arts for Positive Mental Health E-Learning Program