Art workshop teaches students about themselves and the world!
“How do you see yourself?… What do you love about your community?… What’s unique about your culture?… How do you see the world?” These were a few of the questions that our Kids Club students were asked during a creative arts and expression workshop that took place the last week in April. After a generous donation of hundreds of Neuland Markers, Casa mentor Erin Gordon – along with other volunteers – helped us develop a week long workshop for our kids to learn how to express themselves through art.
As they worked through interactive activities to build a collective mural, our students were exposed not only to how fun drawing can be, but how valuable visual expression can be when communicating through words is difficult. For one of our 5th grade students, it’s a regular struggle for her to put how she’s feeling into words, or to find ways of working through her anxiety. After an especially hard beginning hour of Kids Club, Mariana* walked into the 2nd day of the workshop feeling frustrated and discouraged. As she worked with the markers, her disposition changed and she began to relax and engage. At the end of the day, she came up to me and said, “Ms. Marissa that was really helpful. I don’t know why, but drawing helped me calm down and refocus. I feel better.”
This was just one of many examples throughout the week of students discovering the value of creative expression. As they took their markers home at the end of the week, they couldn’t wait to continue creating projects with their family and friends. We are so grateful to Erin Gordon, Jacob Eastham, friends from the International Forum of Visual Practitioners, Neuland Markers, and all the volunteers who spent the week with our Kids Club kids and staff. Thanks for helping get outside of the box to create something beautiful!
*name changed for privacy
