Gender Equality United States Project #30963

Help Trauma Survivors Heal Through Art

by SafeArt, Inc.

Project Report | Jul 14, 2021
Healing Arts Summer Update

By Cleopatra Griffin | Co-Director

HAICU members met up for the first time in months

Summer is here, and for many of us in Vermont that means the busiest time of the year is here.

The Healing Arts for Adults programming continues to run multiple focused groups for those in need of support, Healing Arts for Survivors and HAICU. We partnered with River Arts in Morrisville to provide a 6 week clay workshop for HAICU, over zoom! “As a group, we were able to use the clay as a medium for creative expression, this was a new experience for some”, Susan (healing arts facilitator) shared.

“Creating from clay is so like the process of working with, and healing, our own lives, including the alchemical fires that are necessary to bring the changes that are longer lasting and beneficial. We can re-create ourselves and learn to trust our Spirit and the gifts we bring to our lives and others.” - Karen, HAICU participant

We gathered all the clay pieces that were created and I delivered them to River Arts to fire for the participants - they will get them back in the coming weeks. This workshop was so enjoyed by participants, that we have been asked if clay seminars can be offered once a month - we said yes!

Permalink

Mar 18, 2021
Reflecting on the pandemic year

By Cleopatra Griffin | Project Leader

Grounding Pages

It has been a year since the pandemic changed everything.

Our in person groups moved to virtual format a year ago... that seems so bizarre, but here we are, we are still meeting weekly with participants and we are still building community in the most difficult times. During our staff meeting this morning we noted that attendance for HAICU (Healing Arts Imaginative Care Unit) has actually become more regular/reliable than ever before. This is in part due to the fact that we are in desperate need of connection these days, even if it is online, and for some of our participants - travel was difficult. The accesability of reaching our programming from their own homes has made a huge difference.

Healing Arts participants continue to meet weekly. Each session begins with breath practice, meditation, movement, includes lunches together (from their own homes), art making, music and dance, and ends with gratitudes, meditation, and closing.

One of the ongoing projects has been a journal. Each participants journal is unique and made entirely for themselves - including writing and artwork. Currently they are working on special pages that include their intentions and gounding pages. The grounding pages have outlines of their hands so they have a guide to place their hands on the pages - in the pages underneath are meditations, words, drawings, collages, etc. of what things ground that indvidual.

We are looking forward to a partnership with River Arts VT. which begins in April. A ceramic artist will be leading the Healing Arts participants through a 6 week workshop of pottery making! At the end of the workshop, River Arts will fire the pottery in their kilns for each participant. Looking forward to sharing that with you next time!

Links:

SafeArt Website

Permalink

Nov 18, 2020
Healing Arts more important than ever, as pandemic creates more isolation.

By Cleopatra Griffin | Co-Director

Participant collage

Art has been used by all people, throughout time, for individual and communal expression and transformation. SafeArts’ trained practitioners engage in the expressive arts as tools to support mental health and overall well-being. Your donation to SafeArt helps transform lives.

This active transformation has continued throughout the pandemic — where isolation has contributed to collective and individual trauma. Health and safety protocols are in place to allow us to continue providing programs for in-person and virtual offerings.

One of SafeArt’s longest running programs is Healing Arts for Women, helping individuals who have experienced trauma and other challenges with groups that provide artistic expression as a means to develop healthy coping skills. We are proud to say that one of SafeArt’s signature healing groups, HAICU, has not missed a single meeting during COVID-19, successfully transitioning from in-person groups to virtual weekly groups.

A HAICU’s participant, Karen, came to SafeArt through a referral from a social worker. She had spent years in an abusive relationship and a court battle which cost her everything, including her physical and mental wellbeing, her home and financial security.

“Being with other participants and skillful facilitators was just what I needed to heal on all levels...The weekly HAICU groups created a safe and creative space that taught me how to access my inner resources to heal from trauma and how to find support in friends and healthy relationships.” - Karen

This year, SafeArt has expanded our collaborations. We are working with eight other nonprofits throughout Vermont to offer relevant programming on racial justice and community resilience for adults, youth, educators, and schools.

We count on support from individuals and foundations to make this meaningful work possible. Your donations make our programs accessible to those who cannot afford them.

Participant Nature Mosaic

Links:

Attachments:

Poster for a new group and partnership (PDF)

3 Attachments

Permalink

‹ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.