The Program
Arts + Wellness is a long-term multi-disciplinary arts program that supports young people in developing their wellness and mindfulness through empathy building, trauma healing, restorative justice, creative expression, real-world and project-based learning, and civic leadership. The young artists help select the art disciplines and issues on which to focus through public displays of art and hands-on experiences. Each series of this program is led by one of ABG’s Artists in Residence—talented professional artists with a commitment towards creating a culture of care—and have a specific focus such as:
-
Art for Social Change
-
Murals & Street Art
-
Culinary Arts
-
Urban Farming
-
Music, Dance, & Performing Arts
-
Creative Writing & Spoken Word
-
Photojournalism & Videography
-
Peer Mediation
-
Yoga & Contemplative Practices
The Impact
This program is an essential response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of our young people—pre-pandemic—were experiencing significant levels of ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences); now, as a result of the pandemic, all young people are carrying traumas that must be healed before they can excel and thrive as students, changemakers, global citizens of our future world. Beyond building wellness and mental resilience, the Arts + Wellness program opens up dialogue between the youth and ABG’s trauma-informed Artists in Residence around prominent issues including: systemic racism, trauma of poverty, internal and external violence, bullying, and other systemic inequities. This program instills the youth with agency—a sense that they can do something to change their communities—and allows them to discover ways they can channel these feelings and experiences, along with fears and questions, into positive change for their immediate community and beyond.