Art and a little chocolate

Sunday was the second group of the Philadelphia Partnership for Resilience (PPR) Spring Session.  Artists Julia Crawford, Christine Byma and new volunteer, Julie Texteira, prepared a watercolor activity for the women's group.  One woman, Ann, was in attendance and I was invited to join the group.  We started with the feeling movement circle, led by Ms. Crawford, where we each chose a word that we were feeling that day and created a movement that illustrated the word.  I chose the word 'Encouraged' as being involved in the group inspired me personally and solidified the confidence I have in these groups that they can truly make a difference in the lives of those that have experienced trauma.  We put the movements together creating a circular, choreographed dance.  As a dancer myself, I was able to identify with each movement as it expressed all of our innermost feelings.  We then stated the BuildaBridge motto.  Stating the motto as a group gave the words power and at least for me, were the encouraging words needed to conquer the day ahead.

We moved to the long table where blank paper and watercolor paints awaited us.  Ms. Byma showed the group watercolor techniques, which as a dancer, felt out of my comfort zone at first.  She showed us the wet on wet technique - putting water on the paper first, then adding the watercolor paint to that area, created a very fluid spot of color. The second technique was merely the watercolor paint on the paper and then she showed us to add another color to it to create a new color.  The third technique involved turning the paper vertical so water and paint could drip down organically.  My first piece involved the wet on wet technique so all of the circular spots of color I created had soft, blurred edges.  I then used a darker color to create vertical jagged lines down the paper.  I turned my paper vertical and allowed water droplets to organically navigate their way down the jagged lines I just created.  Like a river hitting rocks, bumps and curves, I watched as the water flowed within the loose boundaries I created by paint.  In my life right now, there are particular things over which I have control and for which I've created structure.  But one of the things I learned as I watched the water droplets run down the paper like a river was that there are times when I need to let go of that control, and adapt to the changes occurring.  The droplets from the first sheet landed on a second piece of paper. These droplets then formed the foundation of my second piece (bottom sheet in photo below), creating something new and beautiful out of a bumpy and jagged beginning.  This moment was my art as metaphor for a life lesson.

The others shared their paintings and we discussed as a group what each meant to us as we viewed them.  The group closed with scarf dancing in a circle and stating the BuildaBridge motto again as encouragement for the day.  As I left, I felt calmer, at peace and prepared for the changes in my life.  Creative arts therapy research has shown these therapies to be one of the most effective strategies for alleviating the symptoms of trauma, abuse and stress. 

On my way home, I stopped and bought a piece of chocolate.  The combination of the art-making experience to help me process changes in life and chocolate to decrease the stress hormone cortisol, I felt relaxed, encouraged and at peace.  

This is why BuildaBridge uses art-making experiences with populations who have have experienced trauma.  To read more detail about BuildaBridge's approach and core values, visit the website. 

-- Danielle Dembrosky Bossert, Refugee Project Manager

Finding a Sense of Belonging

The welcome song on December 1st was extra special. Why? Two children, sisters, newly arrived from Nepal just a week prior, joined the Bhutanese refugee children’s art group. The regular attending children were on their best behavior, sitting taller than normal, singing louder and glancing at the sisters to see if they were enjoying themselves. The words of the welcome song – "Hello, Hello, so happy to see you; Hello, Hello, how do you do? Hello, hello, my name is.." – took on new meaning this time. One of the children took on the responsibility of translating for the new girls. The others did their part in acclimating the sisters to the rituals, rules and values of the group. The children danced, sang and they made mud sculptures of their choice illustrating the continuing metaphor of constant change and growth in life. This metaphor started with the lesson of the life cycle and migration of Monarch butterflies to Mexico (see previous post 'Skulls made of Sugar')

At the end of group, the sisters hung around, showing the artists Nepali music videos, sharing their interests and culture. One of the sisters continued to draw long after the group had ended while the other sister exchanged handmade bracelets with another child. They asked for paper to take home so they could continue drawing in preparation for the next group.

The BuildaBridge Classroom model helped the regularly attending children welcome and acclimate these newly arrived sisters from Nepal. The boundaries, structure and rituals create a community that these sisters are now a part of, helping them find a sense of belonging here in a new place.

Flight of the Monarchs

During their most recent group, Bhutanese children reviewed what they learned about monarch butterflies migrating from the U.S. to Mexico in late October.  Children worked in pairs to choreograph their interpretation of what the life cycle  of a butterfly and it's migration looks like.  Each pair performed their dance for the group using fabric to mimic wings and capes.  As children performed, the artists pointed out the scientific terms like transformation, caterpillar, cocoon and chrysalis in order to strengthen the group's vocabulary and academic skills.  The group then transitioned into their visual arts activity of creating mud sculptures.  The week prior, children created leaf drawings.  Christine, the visual art therapist, described how mud sculptures when they are dry are slightly more permanent than the leaf drawings, but also will not last forever.  Using these art activities as a metaphor, children were able to reflect on the things in their own lives that were permanent and impermanent.  Christine, Mr. Robert and Julia have consistently incorporated both movement and visual arts into all of the groups because the children respond so well to both. There are attributes and specific values to each art medium, all of which play an important role in helping children externalize the internal without the use of words as they continue to acclimate into U.S. culture.

Two newly arrived refugee children joined this group totaling 11 children in attendance on December 1st. The group taught them the songs, dances and rituals of the BuildaBridge Classroom, welcoming them into the space as if they had been there all along.  A celebration of this first term will occur December 15th and groups will re-start in mid-January.

Skulls made of Sugar

Mr. Robert Kelleher and Ms. Christine Byma crafted a lesson for the most recent Bhutanese refugee children's group about the Day of the Dead.  The lesson started with a discussion about monarch butterflies and their migration to Mexico at the start of November.  Children discussed what it means to migrate, as most of them have experienced this or heard the stories of their parents' migration. The monarch butterflies often arrive at the time of Mexico's Day of the Dead celebration November 2nd.  Some believe these butterflies carry the souls of those who have passed on and have come back to visit.  In celebration and in honor of the ancestors, families create skulls made of sugar and flowers as symbols of death and the afterlife to place on alters.  Bhutanese children created skulls made of model magic, feathers and colored pens to symbolize their celebrations of ancestors who have passed.  In future groups, the artists will dive deeper into conversations with children about their past, their ancestors and what they've learned from them to apply to their own lives.  

Project Updates

Forty-nine - the number of participants served by BuildaBridge during the 10-week Philadelphia Partnership for Resilience (PPR) groups this past summer.
Twenty - the number of participants who attended at least two groups or more
Seven - the number of participants who attended at least four groups or more
Six - the number of artist personnel who led groups for the participants

Considering that these groups were a pilot, having never been done before and conducted to gauge interest among participants, these attendance statistics shed light on the need for the groups and the interest to continue.  Participants noted that the groups assisted them in building community among one another, particularly sharing similar experiences even though they came from different parts of the world.  Artists noted many participants became more expressive, creative and were more willing to open up because it was a safe space and in addition, art-making naturally allows one to externalize the internal without the use of words.  BuildaBridge will continue to collaborate with Nationalities Services Center and the PPR to offer the art therapy and therapeutic art-making groups in the community mental health context to survivors of torture until October 2014.

With regard to the PRMHC, the Bhutanese group started their Fall 2013 term on October 20 with some returning children from last term and will continue until mid-December.  The Burmese group will re-start in April 2014.

Art of the Journey

BuildaBridge recently completed the first of two 10-week terms with the Burmese population in South Philadelphia.  Art Therapist Natalie Hoffmann led a team of artists including Jessica LaBarca and Liz Green in using geography as a focus for the art activities this term.  Children explored their the journeys they took from East Asia to Philadelphia through a number of art activities in addition to pieces solely focused on where they live now.

Cut-out maps of Pennsylvania served as the foundation for collages, helping children understand the state in which they live and where Philadelphia is located on the map.  






 Maps of East Asia served as the starting point for children to draw how they got to Philadelphia and what that journey looked like to them. 





To conclude the first 10 weeks and celebrate the successes, BuildaBridge staff held a celebration on October 3rd with snacks, songs and a time of sharing.  Burmese groups will re-start in April when it is lighter out longer in order for families to feel safe walking to and from the group location.
View more photos of the celebration.

Learning from one another

BuildaBridge artists from L to R:  Jessica LaBarca, Christine Byma, Robert Kelleher, Julia Crawford & Rebecca Asch

The participants in the adult group are learning from one another on many levels as are the staff of BuildaBridge and those from Nationalities Services Center (NSC). 

Participants in the adult group, led by Jessica LaBarca and Rebecca Asch, are learning:

• How to communicate non-verbally since English is not a shared language
• Each piece of art may not resonate with every participant the same
• Similar or shared experiences can be good to process together but listening to vastly different experiences from others also holds much value
• Art-making is a vehicle for them to process their past, express themselves and find hope for their future

As part of NSC's Philadelphia Partnership for Resilience (PPR), BuildaBridge art therapists and artists provide art therapy and therapeutic art-making groups in the community context for survivors of torture.   One group is for adults only and the other is for families with children.  BuildaBridge is an expert in providing art-making experiences for traumatized populations and NSC is an expert in refugee resettlement and case management services.  Together, we are learning how to coordinate our efforts to provide alternative and effective mental health services for sensitive refugee and immigrant populations.  Lessons from these groups will contribute to a possible collaboration with NSC's PPR for the rest of the year and add to the Philadelphia Refugee Mental Health Collaborative's work with all Philadelphia refugees.