2000/2004: The achievement of community art therapy in Novos Alagados,
a favela (shantytown) in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil.

Jocelia Araujo Luz, the leader of two art therapy workshops. This picture shows Jocelia at the end of a two-week workshop during which she discovered painting, an expression method that she will continue to use with the children she has in charge.

Split into two groups according to their work schedule, around thirty people, ranging from 20 to 60 years in age, participate in this art therapy training program. The majority of the group is female, and all members were born and raised in the favela. Having never had access to superior education, the group works passionately to better both the educational and the social systems through the use of the community structure and the Sociedade 1 de Maio (schools, nurseries, vocational workshops, and other clubs based on different leisure activities).

Thanks to Vera Machado Lazzarotto, a professional teacher who has dedicated his life to the children of Novos Alagados, creativity has been one of the fundamental elements in the teaching methods of this favela for over 20 years.The artistic and theoretical training, and the supervision of this program are performed by Christine Koechlin, a french artist and therapist, co-founder of this humanitarian project. The educational coordination, translations, and general continuity are all overseen by Vera Machado Lazzarotto.

The program is made up of different intensive workshops that focus on artistic expression and creativity through the use interdisciplinary activities: transforming scraps found in the road into a colorful sculpture, painting, theatrical improvisation, playback theater, relaxation exercises, body expression, writing games, poster making, and the creation of theatrical masks for improvisation games. (See photos)

This practical approach combines a conceptual and theoretical approach that is simple, pragmatic, and quickly effective through this use of commentary and discussion in the workshops and through other courses designed to develop the base needed to participate effectively in the workshops.

Outside of these sessions of workshops, a permanent and essential structure of interaction and support has been created and maintained between the trainees, who immediately could apply this work and methods with the children they have to care of.

In addition, 4 different pilot workshops specialized in art therapy care are run weekly for the children who need special attention and help. Jocelia Araujo Luz holds the first workshop consisting of spontaneous story telling, drawing, painting, and theatrical games for 2 groups of children between the ages of 8 and 12. Edvan Pereira da Silva, who focuses on theatrical expression with two groups of teenagers within the ages of 13 to 18, holds the second workshop. This group has tentatively designed a project for a play depicting the ancestral theme and sensitivity that surrounds slavery.

The trainees group collectively supervise these workshops, which are also carefully supervised by the french-brazilian teaching team, so that the desired and necessary function of experimentation and examination of theoretical and practical notions is fulfilled and made effective.

The relationship with the families involved in this social program is assured by Ms. Nevolanda, a pschyco-physio-therapist working for the community, who also helps care for the children with more specific problems.

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the results in short after 3 years ...

The action realized has given birth to several permanent effective art-therapy workshops for children and youth in crises, to therapeutical realizations of active pedagogies within schools, to a community network of psycho-social listening support, and to cultural actions (theatre, life stories) made to revitalize the community memories. All these have been done directly by the beneficiaries within their association Sociedade 1° de Maio.

Eversince it’s first year this program has produced important positive behavioral transformations by the children and youth group focused on, and on a wider scale. Later on the training’s beneficiaries have realized by themselves other training actions for their peers (2002) in order to extend the practice of these methods. the art-therapy workshops have been integrated to the regular community activities. In summer 2003 a new theatrical-therapy workshop for street youth has been created without any external help.

The difficult points locally have been and will be to finance the very basic necessary supplies for the art activities (plain paper & colours)...

Direct donations would be welcome contact : primeirodemaio@uol.com.br (language : portuguese or spanish)