Art Therapy in Costa Rica
Donation protected
In January 2013, eight art therapy graduate students and two professors from Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, California spent two weeks in a small community on the outskirts of Granada, Nicaragua. As artists and Art Therapists, their goal was to bring the community together through art making. They worked with a local non-government organization (NGO) Viva Nicaragua and with community leaders to identify strengths and needs of the small community, which was originally a squatters community due to the yearly flooding of the banks of Lake Nicaragua. Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in Central America, and schools and communities rely heavily on the support of NGOs and volunteers from around the world.
Before entering the community, they spoke directly with our NGO director and a community leader about Nicaragua's history and culture, learned about locally produced art materials that would be available for continued use, and identified significant historical themes that might be meaningful for the community to explore through art. They also worked with local teachers and psychologists to facilitate discussions on the power of art making. The community members who chose to participate were divided into groups: young boys, young girls, women, and elders.
They facilitated community art making each morning, inviting the small groups to discuss their experiences and the stories they shared. At the end of the second week, the Art Therapists worked with the community to help create a small exhibit to showcase the art. Themes included shields, exploring personal, family, and community identity; masks, highlighting cultural and historical narratives; and dolls/figures, focusing on personal strength and empowerment.
The young leader of the community facilitated a discussion engaging the young and old members about what was learned about self and the community through art making. A large element of this project facilitated by the Art Therapists involved asking community members to contribute the significance of their art in relation to their lives. A celebration ensued, including music, games, dancing, and a community-wide parade.
Why We Are Going Back
6 Notre Dame students, Alyssa Bondi, Alicia Dabney, Ashely Leonard, Hannah Narlesky, Kayla Ormandy, and Laura Reaney wish to return to help Nicaraguan refugees in Costa Rica this August, 2019, in order to continue work within this community. Our hope is that those we visit may experience the therapeutic value of art making with Art Therapists. This can be especially powerful when communities come together to explore personal strengths and share their narratives of resilience.
This is a particularly important time for this community, as many of them have fled to Costa Rica, seeking refuge during a time of unrest. While the situation is complicated, the U.N. is aware of human rights violations against certain groups in Nicaragua since April of 2018. As many as 55,000 Nicaraguans have left the country to seek asylum nearby. We hope to provide a sense of structure as this community establishes new roots, and to support them as they remember their strengths and their resilience by facilitating community engagement.
What We Need
As masters and post masters students training to become Art Therapists and Marriage and Family Therapists, we will not receive salaries for this volunteer work. Working with international communities with diverse goals and needs will help us gain knowledge and experience that will benefit local communities on a day-to-day basis. We hope to cover our costs, which include:
• Approximately $800 each for round-trip flight and transportation from San Francisco, California to San Jose, Costa Rica
• $900 each to cover costs for room/board, meals, and transportation provided by our host families and the NGO.
• $1,918 each for tuition and fees, paid directly to Notre Dame de Namur University for this class-led educational training experience
• $120 each for supplies/miscellaneous expenses
• Total cost: $3,738 per person - We are hoping to raise enough money to cover half of the total cost ($1,870) for each masters/post masters students.
The Impact
• This project facilitates art making, processing about the art with Art Therapists, storytelling, and discussion within communities and amongst local leaders, educators, and psychologists from Nicaragua.
• Many students that attend the International and Multicultural Art Therapy Service opportunities at Notre Dame de Namur have spoken about their experience in undergraduate and graduate classes in order to share the importance of cultural sensitivity when working with multicultural and/or international communities.
• This opportunity provides the culturally sensitive experience of bringing Art Therapy as a service into international countries, encouraging participants to continue giving back as they progress in their careers.
• Professors Amy Backos and Gwen Sanders will provide lectures and art making opportunities to university professors and social service workers in Nicaragua so they can implement healing arts into their work. They continue to expand the International program at NDNU by offering graduate students opportunities to travel while implementing service learning projects to increase multicultural education and clinical experiences.
Other Ways You Can Help
• If you cannot donate, that's ok!
• Please share this page with others to help us spread the word!
• We are also accepting donations of clothing and art supplies, which we will transport to Costa Rica to be distributed by Viva Nicaragua.
Before entering the community, they spoke directly with our NGO director and a community leader about Nicaragua's history and culture, learned about locally produced art materials that would be available for continued use, and identified significant historical themes that might be meaningful for the community to explore through art. They also worked with local teachers and psychologists to facilitate discussions on the power of art making. The community members who chose to participate were divided into groups: young boys, young girls, women, and elders.
They facilitated community art making each morning, inviting the small groups to discuss their experiences and the stories they shared. At the end of the second week, the Art Therapists worked with the community to help create a small exhibit to showcase the art. Themes included shields, exploring personal, family, and community identity; masks, highlighting cultural and historical narratives; and dolls/figures, focusing on personal strength and empowerment.
The young leader of the community facilitated a discussion engaging the young and old members about what was learned about self and the community through art making. A large element of this project facilitated by the Art Therapists involved asking community members to contribute the significance of their art in relation to their lives. A celebration ensued, including music, games, dancing, and a community-wide parade.
Why We Are Going Back
6 Notre Dame students, Alyssa Bondi, Alicia Dabney, Ashely Leonard, Hannah Narlesky, Kayla Ormandy, and Laura Reaney wish to return to help Nicaraguan refugees in Costa Rica this August, 2019, in order to continue work within this community. Our hope is that those we visit may experience the therapeutic value of art making with Art Therapists. This can be especially powerful when communities come together to explore personal strengths and share their narratives of resilience.
This is a particularly important time for this community, as many of them have fled to Costa Rica, seeking refuge during a time of unrest. While the situation is complicated, the U.N. is aware of human rights violations against certain groups in Nicaragua since April of 2018. As many as 55,000 Nicaraguans have left the country to seek asylum nearby. We hope to provide a sense of structure as this community establishes new roots, and to support them as they remember their strengths and their resilience by facilitating community engagement.
What We Need
As masters and post masters students training to become Art Therapists and Marriage and Family Therapists, we will not receive salaries for this volunteer work. Working with international communities with diverse goals and needs will help us gain knowledge and experience that will benefit local communities on a day-to-day basis. We hope to cover our costs, which include:
• Approximately $800 each for round-trip flight and transportation from San Francisco, California to San Jose, Costa Rica
• $900 each to cover costs for room/board, meals, and transportation provided by our host families and the NGO.
• $1,918 each for tuition and fees, paid directly to Notre Dame de Namur University for this class-led educational training experience
• $120 each for supplies/miscellaneous expenses
• Total cost: $3,738 per person - We are hoping to raise enough money to cover half of the total cost ($1,870) for each masters/post masters students.
The Impact
• This project facilitates art making, processing about the art with Art Therapists, storytelling, and discussion within communities and amongst local leaders, educators, and psychologists from Nicaragua.
• Many students that attend the International and Multicultural Art Therapy Service opportunities at Notre Dame de Namur have spoken about their experience in undergraduate and graduate classes in order to share the importance of cultural sensitivity when working with multicultural and/or international communities.
• This opportunity provides the culturally sensitive experience of bringing Art Therapy as a service into international countries, encouraging participants to continue giving back as they progress in their careers.
• Professors Amy Backos and Gwen Sanders will provide lectures and art making opportunities to university professors and social service workers in Nicaragua so they can implement healing arts into their work. They continue to expand the International program at NDNU by offering graduate students opportunities to travel while implementing service learning projects to increase multicultural education and clinical experiences.
Other Ways You Can Help
• If you cannot donate, that's ok!
• Please share this page with others to help us spread the word!
• We are also accepting donations of clothing and art supplies, which we will transport to Costa Rica to be distributed by Viva Nicaragua.
Fundraising team: Art Therapy Students 2019 (6)
Kayla Ayla
Organizer
Belmont, CA
Alicia Dabney
Team member
Alicia Dabney
Team member
Alyssa Bondi
Team member
Hannah Narlesky
Team member