As the Youth Arts Action cycle approaches the final Café Night event, we start working on the final projects that sumarise all our work to date. These final weeks, will go through exploration of book covers, abstract self-portraits, and a final Creativity Community Café Night.
Weeks 7 and 8, Book Cover Art Piece
These sessions aim to show the invisibility of mental health, fighting about its stigma and exploring diverse experiences. Youth will reflect on a two-part exploration, creating art on book covers. The exterior expresses how they present themselves to the world, while the interior shows their internal emotional world. This art becomes a powerful tool, encouraging understanding within themselves and their community.
Week 9, Abstract Self-Portraits
In this session, youth participates in a unique process: creating abstract self-portraits. Having various materials like fabric, charcoal, or paint, they represent their self-expression. The focus is on an exploration of identity, allowing each participant to choose a tool that resonates with their vision of themselves.
Week 10, Mindful Creativity Community Café Night
The journey ends on a Creativity Community Café Night, the final event for the program. All ages are welcome to this coloring and creativity evening, immersing themselves in the techniques and activities that we explored on the 10-week cycle.
Community Connections mixed with the benefits of Creativity
As youth gain both creative and personal development skills, the effect gets multiplied and spread to diverse community members. The final Creativity Community Café Night becomes a symbol of connection, where emotion management exploration extends beyond individual growth to community-wide well-being.
The Program’s Impact
These final weeks represent the essence of the Youth Arts Action program. The program goes beyond artistic skills, putting the focus on self-expression, identity, and emotional management. The book cover art and abstract self-portraits are as powerful tools to articulate complex emotions, fostering understanding.
Youth Arts Action, through its focus on SEL, is not just an art program, but a safe holding space for youth, paying especial attention to mental health, community, and the ongoing exploration of the human experience.
As the final event is held, the program will go on a one-week break, restarting on March 3rd.
