Community
Waringarri Arts facilitates programs that engage youth and community members in creative activities that help participants understanding their Indigenous culture as well as deal with issues such as grief and trauma.Project Categories
Community
Project Status - Current
About This Project
ARTHEAL is a new program initiated by Waringarri Aboriginal Arts to support individuals, families and community members to become empowered and build resilience in their lives.
According to Waringarri Arts-worker Helen Carlton who has played the lead role in developing the program, “This program is to help our people become leaders again…ARTHEAL is a way that Waringarri Arts can help our people by using art and cultural practice to help healing. You don’t have to be an artist to benefit from the workshops. ARTHEAL is a way to shift ‘HURT’ and ‘NOT OK’ feelings away so that we can start to feel ‘OK’ again. The workshops help people to express those hard feelings through art based activities as well as reconnect them with traditional cultural activities.”
The ARTHEAL program is a community initiated response to the high number of suicides and associated grief and trauma experienced by families and communities of the Kimberley. The program is supported by community leaders and has been developed in close partnership with Boab Health, Kimberley Mental Health & Drug and Service, Save the Children, and Art Therapist Toni Jackson. Weekly workshops are held at Waringarri Aboriginal Arts in partnership with local schools to support minimally engaged youth and sessions for individuals and families are held fortnightly. The program has been funded with support from ConnectGroups Support Groups Association WA and the Department of Social Services.
