Artivism is international, non-profit organization to bring psychological survival skills to refugee children suffering from the effects of war, and promotes public awareness of the effects of war on children.
Artivism is a program to teach psychological survival skills to refugee children. There is not enough psychosocial support for refugees, many of whom symptoms of trauma from their war experiences. The seeds of future wars is planted in the children of today’s wars, and Artivism hopes to bring easy to implement, low-cost, reproducible help to better the lives of children of war — to reduce the future effects of today’s wars.
Art therapy techniques are well-established, and there are many resources to build upon. In childhood education, art is generally an uncontrolled vector, free from many traditional and idealogical constraints. That freedom means it is an ideal way vector for teaching the kinds of psychological survival skills that trauma victims need to gain control over their lives.
The program has four parts: teacher training in therapeutic art techniques; art classes for refugee children; an art exchange program between refugee children and outside children; an internet archive of the children’s art.
The training program works with local teacher trainers who will educate teachers in the use therapeutic art lessons in many different subject classes.
Artivism art classes for children serve to give teachers hands-on, guided experience. They are also useful for testing and improving the methods and execution of the art classes.
In the art exchange, refugee children and students around the world create and share art and stories. The children paint postcards and write messages to each other.
The internet archive of drawings is a unique resource for academic research, training of art therapists, and dissemination of promotional and education material, namely, the children’s drawings.
