Type of mission  

• 4 art-based capacity building and trainings  

10-week online programme – from July till October – around 17 participants/group. 

• Coaching programme 

5 online sessions – from October till December – around 5 participants/group 

Background 

The COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating consequences on the mental health of young people and children especially. The Red Pencil has focused its attention to serve the most vulnerable, especially children and youth in the context of the COVID pandemic.

In India, we collaborated with Parikrma Humanity Foundation; an organisation that provides education to marginalised children by operating 4 primary schools and 1 junior college.

Partner organisation 

Parikrma Humanity Foundation 

Parikrma is a humanitarian organisation, which is deeply rooted in Bangalore society and provides education to marginalised children by operating 4 primary schools and 1 junior college (Grades 11 & 12). They have more than 1800 children, 52 % of whom are girls, coming from disadvantaged backgrounds and difficult familial environments. Their students, aged between 5 and 25, are drawn from 105 slum communities and 5 orphanages across Bangalore. Parikrma's mission is to unleash the potential of underserved children, enabling them to live their life on equal terms and become valuable contributing members of society. They have the highest attendance in the country at 96% and the lowest drop-out rate at less than 1%. 

Where 

Bangalore, Karnataka, India 

Art Therapists

Karen Peakin (Ireland) – Angela Haren (Belgium) 

Yen Chua (Singapore) – Hao Xin (Malaysia) 

Cristina Ramos (France) – Ashmi Sheth (India) 

Roshni Bhatia (India) – Nicole Yeo (Singapore) 

+ Supervisor Dr. Christine Kerr, PhD (USA) 

Donors

Beneficiaries

• Training 

Direct beneficiaries : mix of arts and general academic teachers, educators, psychologists/counsellors as well as administrative staff (in each of the 4 locations). 

Indirect beneficiaries : children under the care of the direct beneficiaries, aged 5-21 years, i.e. children from slum communities and orphanages. 

• Coaching 

Direct beneficiaries: staff having followed the ToT-programme, i.e. art and general academic teachers, educators, psychologists/counsellors as well as administrative staff. 

Indirect beneficiaries : children under the care of the direct beneficiaries, aged 5-21 years, i.e. children from slum communities and orphanages. 

Objectives 

• Training:  

Equip beneficiaries with: 

1. Knowledge of mental health & trauma care through the use of art-based tools and techniques which can be used to support the children under their care
2. Art-based self-care and coping tools and techniques for themselves
3. Theoretical framework 

• Coaching: 

Foster sustainability and application of the techniques in the classroom by giving further explanation and exercises to beneficiaries, having them experience the tools directly with the children under their care and then reverting to the ATs with any issues or questions they might have. 

Results and impact on the lives of beneficiaries 

• Training 

We evaluated our training-intervention based on: 

1. an online questionnaire we asked the beneficiaries to fill out before and after the training programme
2. a survey filled out by each arts therapist 

The supervision sessions which were held in-between the training sessions allowed for continuous improvement by enabling ATs to raise questions, comments and issues and, to exchange with each other on how to best design their sessions.   

• Coaching  

We've evaluated our coaching programme based on: 

1. an online questionnaire and a case study we asked beneficiaries to complete
2. a report drawn up by each arts therapist
3. an online questionnaire we asked the partner organization to fill out 

The supervision sessions which were held in-between the coaching sessions allowed for continuous improvement by enabling ATs to raise questions, comments and issues and to exchange with each other on how to best design their next sessions. 

Type of mission

3-Step Humanitarian Mission

Step 1: 3-14 April 2017

Step 2: 17-30 September 2017

Step 3: 24 May – 2 June 2018

Where 

New Delhi

Partner organization

CRY (Child Rights & You)

Beneficiaries 

• 41 children of migrant families living in slums
• 13 caregivers

Arts Therapists 

Disha Dutt
Sara Simon

Background

Throughout this mission we wanted to allow children to realise their full potential through art-making processes that nurtures self-identity, as well as:

• Encourage children to use a range of communication strategies to express their needs, wants, feelings;
• Provide positive reinforcement by utilizing the arts to help children develop a sense of empathy for others.
• Create a happy, healthy and creative space for children whose rights are protected and honoured;

Type of mission:

3-Step Humanitarian Mission

Step 1: 6-17 February 2017

Step 2: 3-14 July 2017

Step 3: Dec 2017

Where

Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Partner organization

PCVC (International Foundation for Crime Prevention and Victim Care)

Arts Therapists

Erika Loseman, Sruthi Sriram

Beneficiaries

• 50 children and 55 women survivors
• 21 staff/caregivers, most of whom are graduates in social work and psychology

Background

This mission helps women who have survived severe abuse, domestic violence or neglect, as well as children who were witnesses.

Art and creation can enable survivors to make sense and find their way out of chaos, frightful memories, and the raw emotion of their abuse. They will be able to discover a sense of strength, safety, understanding, and hope.

The collaboration was structured from understanding the therapeutic benefits for

• Enhancing self-esteem.
• Finding your worth through creative experiential art therapy processes.
• Discovering a sense of strength, safety and to help decrease the level of isolation via group art therapy sessions.
• Empower women to voice their views, messages and stories to try and initiate change.

Type of mission 

Humanitarian Mission, 18 – 30 June, 2015

Where 

New Delhi

Partner Organization 

CanKids organization

Art Therapists 

Dipikka Ramchandani

Beneficiaries

• 15-20 children attended the workshop
• 35 adults who received orientation at the Art Therapy training program

Donor

Vandenborre Family

Background

To offer a safe space for children with cancer in an attempt to meet the needs they encounter throughout their journey with the illness.

Some of the goals of the mission were:

Healthy emotional regulation, building a sense of self, peer group support, boosting self-confidence, providing self-affirmation and encouraging self-acceptance.

Type of Mission

Humanitarian mission 23 Dec 2014 – 2 Jan 2015

Where

Kolkata

Partner Organization

Tree of Hope Foundation

Art Therapist

Dipikka Ramchandani

Beneficiaries

25 Children (4 y.o. – 12 y.o.) from low-income families with behavioral issues experiencing familial conflicts, abuse and loss.

Donor

Vandenborre Family

Background

The art therapy group sessions took place in a classroom at Park Junior School. The seating arrangement was changed from a classroom setting to an oval. On occasions the therapists sat in a circle with the group during reflection time.

The goal of this mission was to provide education to children in order:

• To develop coping mechanisms and build resilience
• To focus on the all-round development of the children, so that they are uplifted in 
mind, body and spirit and grow into confident young adults.
• To pass on skills that empower them and enable them to understand their inner world better (eg. visual journaling).
• To provide an awareness of art therapy and give them an opportunity to view art under a different light.

Type of mission

Humanitarian service 7 – 17 December, 2014

Where

New Delhi

Partner organization

Magic Foundation

Art Therapists

Shimali Goonetilleke, Smitha Venkatesh

Beneficiaries: 

12 Children

Donor

Vandenborre Family

Background