Check out the videos where participants share their thoughts about the workshops.
Ikebana:
Batik:
Dance:
Live broadcast
Before we all left Motycz Leśny and went back homes, we had the opportunity to share our knowledge and experiences with other people. We organized a live broadcast during which we talked about what art therapy is and how it can help us.
We hope that everyone who was watching us could find out that art therapy is worth trying and it's for everyone, regardless the talent or experience.
On the Mount Olympus...
During our youth exchange we decided to use also theater as a form of art therapy. It is a very good tool because it gives us opportunity to express our emotions through acting.
What was special about this kind of art therapy? We didn't create a theater play but a theater game!
First, participated in the theater workshop during which we had a chance to train our improvisation skills, use our voice and control our body. Later, we had a chance to take part in the debate. We used this method during the game so it was a good warm up for us. In the debate we had two speakers that were giving arguments for the thesis 'Art therapy is not a real therapy', and two speakers who were giving arguments against this thesis. The rest of the group was taking part in the debate as active audience who could ask questions.
We played the theater game in the evening, but before it all started we had to prepare costumes and decorations. The plot of the game was set on the top of the Mount Olympus and the characters were Greek gods. We used the previously created ikebana arrangements as decorations and handouts. Game started with the debate and the head of the debate was Zeus.
We had a lot of fun during the game!
Dance workshop
Our third workshop was connected with movement. We didn't create any artistic objects there. The whole point of the workshop was to move your body and express yourself through dance.
In the beginning, we got acquainted with the definition of dance and move art therapy. We also got to know how art therapy works, what is it, how it can help us and what can be the effect of using it.
We played a lot of games connected with body movement to get to know ourselves, our mind and our bodies better. Thanks to that, we were open to feel the music better and relax completely.
We had some funny tasks to do. For example there was a battle between men and women where we had to create some choreography and present it to others. They had to repeat it, so it was a lot of fun.
There was also a game called 'mirror'. We were dancing in pairs and one person from the pair had to make some dance moves while the other person had to copy them like a mirror.
In the end we created a choreography with the whole group.
We really really enjoyed dancing and we think it is a great way to reduce stress and get rid of bad emotions so we can recommend it to anyone!
Batik workshop
Another art therapy workshop was connected with batik. It is a type of painting where you are using a bees wax and colorful dyes.
The preparations were very complicated because we had to find the proper amount of beeswax, paraffin, brushes, paper, and even iron!
Batik workshop can take a lot of time because we first have to wait for the wax and paraffin to melt together, then we cover the white spots on the fabric, we choose color and paint with it on the fabric. Then we need to take a break because paint needs to get dry.
Batik is a very good form of art therapy because you don't need any artistic talent to start painting. It's actually very easy, because even simple patterns can be used for this kind of painting (and look really good!). Batik also can make you relax and forget about the stress. It's not only thanks to focusing on manual work, but also thanks to beautiful smell of wax.
Ikebana workshop
On the 4th day of the youth exchange we organized art therapy workshops that were conducted by participants.
One of the workshops was Ikebana.
You can read what the participants said about the workshop:
Today,
in our youth exchange project we tried one special method of therapy art. It is
called ikebana. Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. It is
practiced as an art where flowers and other natural elements are placed in such
a way as to embody harmony, peace, and beauty. The tradition of this art goes
way back to the sixth century AD. There are four types of ikebana: rikka,
seika, moribana and jiyuka. They are different in the way the elements are
arranged. The natural elements are supposed to represent the heaven, the earth,
and the human.
Dominika prepared a nice presentation about the art of ikebana and then she showed us
how we can make it on our own. We used pots, sponges and flowers and another
natural element such as sticks, leaves, little stones, and tree bark. Then we
let our imaginations flow and started to create our own ikebana.
The
first rule was “less is more’’. Dominika told us that the balance is important
in this form of art as well as in life. During the process we founded ourselves
in different states of mind. If it’s your first time doing something you can
feel frustrated and you can be scared of failure. And that’s ok. We needed some
time to ease up. We put some relaxing music on and eventually everyone had fun.
The making of ikebana helped us to be relaxed and to just enjoy the workshop
because our minds were thinking only about the activity that we were doing.
We
think we did a pretty good job. We are proud of ourselves, and we are happy
that we had the opportunity to try something like this. We also got connected with
nature because we went outside to collect the materials for the second part of
our workshop. But only picked things up from the ground in order not to harm
the plants. We were happy to make art with zero waste and with materials
everyone has around their home. All in all, this art is accessible for everyone
and everyone should try it at least once for the amazing experience.
How
everyone in the group feels about it:
Flavia:
“I can’t wait to do this again and definitely I’m going to teach my friends how
to do it too.’’
Dori:
“I’m thankful for this experience.’’
Horatiu:
“I’m looking forward to doing this again and showing all my friends the
arrangement I made today.’’
Denisa:
“I’m glad I could take part in this project because it is a form of art I
haven’t even heard of before.’’
Judita:
“This was a special experience. I was happy to have this close connection with
the nature and get lost in the process of creating something from the flowers.”
Discussions about the art therapy
When we already felt that we are integrated and we can cooperate as a group we decided to start discussing the main topic of this youth exchange which is art therapy.
Participants had a task to discuss in smaller groups what actually art therapy means, what are it's types, how can it be beneficial for us.
They also got descriptions of characters specially created for this workshop. Each character had a problem that could be solved thanks to art therapy. Participants had to think about how and why art therapy could help them and what kind of art they should use for each character.
In the end we summed up all discussions and agreed to create the definition of art therapy that was understandable for the whole group.
First days of the youth exchange
During the first days of our youth exchange we could get to know each other better thanks to many integration activities.
We even draw each other portraits which we hang on the wall creating a very nice gallery.
One of the most important points of these days was workshop during which we were writing our fears and expectations connected with this youth exchange, and how we can contribute to make this project more valuable.
Of course we also had a session of team building activities. We discovered that it is not so easy to cooperate as a group but eventually we managed to fulfill the tasks!
Participants' motivation to take part in the project
Participants shared their motivations to take part in the youth exchange. Here you can read some of them:
'I want to participate in this project because I want to learn something new about the subject and the other countries because meeting young people from other parts of the world is helping us in countless ways. Being an art lover I look forward to learning how to use it when teaching others. Also I will love to develop my creativity and knowledge about the art world.'
'The main reason that makes me to want to take part in an international youth exchange is about the theme of the project and the fact that most of my hobbies are related to art (paining, writing). Also, in the past I had 2 other experiences with Erasmus+ exchanges and I really enjoyed the experience and I felt that I could learn a lot of things from the organizers and the participants. I am open for a new experience and I can't wait to be there, in Poland.'
'Youth exchange is always the exchange of personal experience and the acquisition of new knowledge and skills. This project is very interesting for me, because I have been connected with creativity for quite a long time and I will definitely have something to tell and show.'
'I would like to participate in this project because, relying on my previous experience, I strongly believe that projects like this add up to personal growth immensely. I would really appreciate the opportunity to improve my social skills, expand knowledge about different cultures and challenge myself once again. I also find the topic of this project applicable as I have always been interested in art and wish to include more of it into my life.'
Final dates of the youth exchange
We finally confirmed the new dates of our project.
Dates of APV:
10-12.02.2022
Dates of the youth exchange:
24.02-04.03.2022
Stay tuned for more info!
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