Whenever a new refugee joins a therapeutic art-making group as part of the Philadelphia Partnership for Resilience, he or she wonders: How can art help me? Will others be able to empathize with me about my experiences? How do I share my ROOTS, culture and story with others who speak a different language? How can this art group help others like me?
Their questions are answered after attending groups regularly.
The boundaries and structure of the groups created a safe environment for clients. Clients came to rely on and participate in more fully the rituals and opening and closing activities that were conducted as part of each group. The art-making processes allowed clients to channel emotions through their art. The sharing of artwork prompted discussions about their feelings, experiences, hopes and dreams.
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| Roots to Routes [image courtesy of Kelly Finlaw] |
By the end of the last group of a 10-week term, clients are interacting with each other openly, acting as guides for one another where language barriers were a challenge; they discuss their experiences of being victims of torture and having to uproot to a new, strange place with more ease. The client that was once new, now feels like they belong to a community; they now know that these BuildaBridge art groups have a specific purpose - to act as a catalyst towards building ROUTES full of hope, healing and resiliency.
You can make a difference. You can help refugees and immigrants with whom BuildaBridge works appreciate and share their ROOTS towards building ROUTES full of their dreams, hopes, developing trusting relationships with others and building community.
Donate to Roots to Routes today to make a difference.
[Roots to Routes, the annual fundraiser for BuildaBridge's Refugee Project, starts today, April 1st and ends April 30th, 2015.]
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