Our Cause
When words are not enough, art can help.
The Red Pencil (International), an entity of The Red Pencil Humanitarian Mission, brings the mental well-being of creative arts therapy (drawing, music, dance and drama) to children, adults, families and vulnerable communities who have experienced adverse life circumstances, such as war, displacement, natural disaster, long-term hospitalisation, violence or abuse. Creative arts therapy offers a non-verbal therapeutic process to express, when words are difficult or impossible, what they have experienced. The result is relief and a greater sense of safety, greater confidence in oneself and one’s resources, new perspectives, new social connections, empowerment and hope for a better, happier future.
Our contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals
Mental health is a cornerstone of SDG 3, which emphasizes good health and wellbeing, as “There is no health without mental health” according to the World Health Organization. Mental health is also connected to other SDGs, such as the reduction of inequalities (SDG 10), education and learning opportunities (SDG 4) and promoting gender equality (SDG 5), as poor mental health is a factor in social exclusion and has an impact on learning.
Our IMPACT
Empowered Beneficiaries
Meet The founders
Laurence de Groote, a registered and certified Arts Therapist, founded the Red Pencil with her husband Alain Vandenborre, after having witnessed the distress of children and their families who were victims of the tsunami in 2004. At that time, she worked at Raffles hospital, a private hospital in Singapore, and had a chance to support children who had been in the waves. She could witness how creative arts therapy could be rapidly life-changing, which became the seed of The Red Pencil.
“At The Red Pencil, we aim to instil hope and empowerment through creative arts therapy to vulnerable children, adults, families, and communities facing traumatic life circumstances towards CHANGE; to improve mental health and resilience in creating a better and happier future for oneself and for others.
My vision is for every individual to harness the creative process of the arts as a means to nurture their mental, physical, and emotional well-being, fostering recovering and self-empowerment. At The Red Pencil we aspire to extend the life-changing benefits of creative arts therapy worldwide, reaching individuals at any stage of life. Since our inception in 2011, we have witnessed individuals and communities, initially unfamiliar with art-making, undergo a revival through engaging in the process of creative arts therapy.
Before they can even speak and write, children use pencils and colors to express themselves, their feelings, thoughts and ideas. Later, when they can talk, words are sometimes inadequate for children to express what they are experiencing and if they are feeling sadness, fear or anger, drawing offers them another of channeling those emotions in a safe and socially acceptable way. As they become adults, there may be other reasons why people can’t put their emotions and thoughts into words, and where creative arts therapy fills a necessary gap. When older people reach the shore of their lives, some memories or relationships may need sensitive wrapping before they leave.”
Meet our ambassadors
elisa@redpencil.org
(MA A Th)
natacha@redpencil.org
valerie@redpencil.org
Our Partners
Our operating model is highly collaborative, as we partner with local organizations, creative art therapists, and donors worldwide to fulfil our mission.
