What drew me into the Ambassador Program was the opportunity for volunteers like me to come up with our own initiatives that support FIMRC’s mission. It was this combination of independent, creative, and immersive service-learning experience that compelled me to commit to an unpaid summer internship. As ambassadors, we spearhead specific projects of our own that will contribute a lasting impact to our host sites, projects that incorporate our interests and passions about a particular field in preventive health or community development.
I knew I wanted to do something related to art from the get go. It was one of those things that fell right into place, almost impossible not to consider, like Jack Donaghy interning for Ted Kennedy. I have worked with kids before engaging in some form of mentoring via art, and each experience affirmed my belief on the power art and its endless possibilities.
According to the American Art Therapy Association the creative process involved in artistic self-expression helps develop interpersonal skills, manage behavior, increase self-esteem, personal fulfillment, empowerment, self-awareness, and achieve insight. Creating something tangible can build confidence and nurture feelings of self-worth, which comes from the creative and analytical components of the artistic process (Brinkman, 2004). By helping visually express emotions and fears that cannot be expressed through conventional means, art gives power and control over these feelings.
More importantly, the benefits on children are insurmountable. Children often have more difficulty than adults trying to put feelings into words (Brinkman, 2004). Art encourages children to express emotions, containing them to the artistic expression. For many children, art provides a sense of relief and discovery of themselves (Brinkman, 2004). In an article by Dr. Estela A. Beale, a child and adult psychiatrist and associate professor in the Department of Neuro-Oncology at the University of Texas, she has asserted that the art that children create is “a window into the less-conscious mind”. Pictures and drawings can help in elucidating a child’s perceptions and feelings about what is happening to them and explore possible alternatives to solving problems (Beale, 2004). Furthermore, it can be used with children, adolescents and even adults who are struggling with personal issues or just in search of personal growth. There are many developmental stages that children go through during their lives from scribbling at ages 2-4 to pseudo realism at ages 11-13, where the child is more critical of themselves and when they began to make decisions on their own. It is not unusual for children to go back and forth between stages (Beale, 2004).
Such literature reviews did not only bolster my confidence in art and its promise, it also provided me a framework from which to build upon a project proposal that incorporates art and a community health initiative in a resource-poor setting such as Las Delicias.
While it is now common in richer countries to focus on the development of “systems of care” for children’s health, in the developing world the concept stil represents a long-term goal given the lack of resources . Encouragingly, a better balance in biomedical, complementary and alternative care are now the goals in most developing countries like El Salvador. It has been demonstrated that some of the more low cost, low resource –intensive interventions targeting early childhood development are play, reading, art, music, and tactile simulation. In this regard, my summer project seeks to augment child health care in resource-poor settings through establishing an art program as a complementary and alternative health initiative in Las Delicias, El Salvador .
The Art Program will primarily focus on the “personal fulfillment, empowerment, and play” component of the creative process, mimicking an ambiance of an art class. The program will be open to children under the age bracket of 5 to 16. Invitations will be sent out to the children in the Las Delicias community. Art therapy sessions will be carried out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and these sessions will last from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the nature of the activity. Activities range from drawing, sketching, water-coloring, painting, mural painting, and craft making.
I'm excited about what's ahead of me in the coming weeks.
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