Healing with Art and Music: Nablus' Refugee Youth

As an Arts & Drama Teacher at TYO, I utilize psychodrama, a therapeutic technique in child psychotherapy involving role-playing and social interaction. This approach relies on theatrical representations of experiences and emotions, helping children express themselves and understand their feelings in creative and indirect ways.

During this year’s Summer Session, I created a program for 5th-grade students, where they enjoyed activities centered around arts, drawing, theater, and music. This is my expertise, and I had worked with them in the previous spring and fall sessions as well. What set this program apart was our initiative to take these activities beyond the organization, sharing them with the local community. Our goal was to instill the importance of community work in the students, shaping leaders and raising awareness about the role of arts in alleviating daily stress, tensions, and trauma within their communities.

Assisted by local volunteers, we developed a plan to enhance students’ various artistic skills. Some participated in puppet theater, while others focused on recreational arts such as clowning. They rehearsed every day in preparation for showcasing their skills and performances at a local orphanage and the children’s cancer ward at An-Najah University Hospital in Nablus. Our goal was to uplift the children, improve their mental well-being, and offer relief from the burdens of their daily treatment.

At first, when I told the students we would take our projects outside the TYO center, they felt insecure. They were shy and didn’t know much about cancer treatments and the needs of cancer patients. One of them was scared to go to the hospital because she mistakenly thought cancer was contagious. But her perspective changed afterward, and she enjoyed making the children happy.

Every day, the students rehearsed a bit, and I prepared their mindset to engage with the children at the orphanage and the hospital. They had to learn how to interact without making patients feel different. At times, they felt discouraged about their acting or artistic abilities, but by assigning different roles to each child, we boosted their confidence and involvement.

We needed a lot of tools for the performances and activities the students prepared: costumes, acting props, and a portable puppet theater. For the latter, students and volunteers came together to build it by reusing and recycling materials. And it turned out great! With that, students performed the play “The Fox That Lost Its Tail,” which narrates the story of a fox that overcomes the loss of its tail and highlights themes of resilience and self-acceptance through psychodrama.

I chose psychodrama as a method due to its impact on others, its ability to convey messages easily, and its effectiveness in masking underlying issues while promoting empathy and acceptance. Initiatives like this help children interact with one another, breaking the isolation barrier and improving their mental health while making them happy and more positive. It also gives them a sense of community and boosts their self-worth.

It was visible how fast students developed during this summer and through this initiative. Ghazal, for example, was our narrator in the play. She was extremely shy and had low self-esteem, but her courage and dedication helped her become more confident and realize her self-worth. And Nawal, who felt lonely, took on the role of distributing gifts as an opportunity to make friends.

All in all, this project improved participants’ understanding of acceptance, cooperation, and the importance of giving back to the community—a much-needed sense of purpose amidst these challenging times in our country.

As for the local community, staff members at the hospital said, “This is the first time we have had a team interested in artistic performances for therapy. I believe this is beneficial for the mental health of our young patients.” It was heartwarming to watch as children at the hospital enjoyed the activities and shared this experience with their friends. Even those in different parts of the hospital joined after hearing the music and excitement that echoed in the halls.

"In drama, I can embody characters I wish were present in my life", said Muhammad from Balata camp.

Muhammad is a child with an innate sense of leadership. However, this trait can come out as  possessiveness and a reluctance to share. His resistance to accepting others as leaders and his volatile reactions caused him to struggle to connect with his peers. 

TYO's new Arts & Drama classes began as a means of emotional healing and self-discovery. In the initial stages of the program, Muhammad's behavior remained erratic. He exhibited a need for control, often attempting to dominate his surroundings through forceful actions and language. However, under my guidance as his teacher, we delved into techniques aimed at fostering self-awareness and emotional regulation.

Through activities such as drawing exercises, Muhammad's expressed his inner turmoil. While he depicted himself externally with precision, he illustrated his inner life with dark, discordant imagery. Similarly, in Drama class, Muhammad gravitated towards roles of authority, embodying characters that mirrored his desire for dominance. However, as the program progressed, Muhammad's rigid attitudes softened.

When I sit with Muhammad to talk, I feel there are things that bother and sadden him. Muhammad told me “When I speak and no one responds because I'm young, I feel very sad and I can't find anyone who will listen to me.” But after the Art classes, he said he has found other ways to express himself: “I became able to say things in different ways to my friends and others around me, and I support my classmates when I see them sad.”

With patient encouragement, Muhammad gradually embraced collaboration, relinquishing his reluctance to work alongside female peers and accepting guidance from me and other teachers. Through role-playing exercises, he assumed the role of a mentor to his peers in need and discovered the transformative power of empathy. Immersed in the world of theater, Muhammad found solace in embodying characters that resonated with his own needs, allowing him to explore facets of his identity otherwise suppressed.

The impact of these interventions has extended to Muhammad's academic performance and social interactions. It is evident the profound effect of artistic expression on his emotional well-being. With a newfound sense of self-worth and empathy, he’s cultivating healthier relationships with his peers, connecting with others around him facing similar struggles, and fostering an environment of mutual support and understanding, where he no longer feels isolated and finds different ways to express his emotions.

Muhammad's story showcases the importance of Arts to enhance the development of refugee children. Their therapeutic power helps overcome adversity and build resilience for generations to come. When we invest in such initiatives, we pave the way for a brighter, more inclusive future, where every child has the opportunity to thrive both physically and psychologically.