It was a disaster with effects that were felt around the world — a devastating earthquake and tsunami that triggered the worst nuclear meltdown since the Chernobyl incident in Russia in the 1980s. The Fukushima disaster in Japan highlighted just how fragile life was at the time, disrupted by the threat of radiation, whole towns uprooted and moved away.
Perhaps some of the individuals most affected by the fallout were the children of those towns, forced to move again and again to different hotels as their parents scrambled to find new accommodations safe from the disaster. Friendships suffered, and even as towns were cleared and residents allowed to move back, many declined to. In the schools these children now attend, many desks sit empty, reminders of the community that had been lost to the disaster.
With many children at risk of developing or already showing signs of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder from the event and what happened afterward, Singapore teamed up with Japan to offer a special art therapy camp program for the children, flying them to Singapore to stay and sort through their feelings while having fun with other peers and art. Children have full camp days, staying busy in their stress-free time away from home. In Singapore, art therapy is a recognized benefit for all, enabling organizations to build upon the perks and develop special regimens for the children who suffered through the disaster.
However, children who take part in the art therapy aren’t asked overtly to create art pictures detailing their personal traumas. That might instead cause the children to shut down to protect themselves and their memories and fears. Instead, children are encouraged to keep a scrapbook of art that they contribute to every day, a safe place to express their feelings and their experiences. Art therapists organizing the events say that occasionally, traumatic images do pop up in the projects — references to the earthquake, tsunami, or the people lost in the disasters — but that children are allowed to process the events on their own terms and time. Using art to sort through the feelings on the disaster is a good way for children to heal without invasive techniques or added trauma. Instead, they’re laughing and playing with each other, learning about new art forms like calligraphy, dry pressing, collage, and much more.
Art is therapeutic in of itself, whether you take a class specifically designed for therapy or if you just pick up a pencil and piece of paper and sketch out whatever’s on your mind. Think about taking an art class today to glean all the benefits associated with art, including stress reduction, a boost in creative problem solving skills, and increased communication. Visit SGArtClass.com today to browse the many classes available with teachers who know exactly how to help you seize new art skills and derive the benefits associated with them.
To learn more about the art program helping the Fukushima children, go to http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/cnainsider/healing-art-for-fukushima/2990722.html.