Arts Empowerment
For grades three and up, Arts Empowerment is a substance use prevention program.
Utilizing Support for Students Exposed to Trauma Curriculum (SSET) and mindfulness activities. We incorporate the arts to help students name their emotions and learn ways to deal with anxiety and stress. We facilitate theater games, various visual arts activities, poetry, song and movement. The students guide us where they want to go and create a final showcase with two of our teaching artists per group. Materials are provided.
Our program utilizes a Trauma-Informed approach which includes safety, choice, collaboration, trust, and empowerment. Examples of ACEs are:
- domestic violence
- mental/ physical
- illness of a loved one
- loss of a family member (death or incarceration)
- family member’s substance use
community violence
The Arts Empowerment program provides age and developmentally appropriate skills for living healthy lives free from opioid and other drug use. We increase protective factors through DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) and artistic activities which include theater games, drawing, painting, writing scenes and poetry, and other ways participants choose to express themselves. .
Protective factors are based in Social Emotional Learning (SEL) competencies.
- Self-awareness: identifying emotions
- Social awareness: empathy; respect for others
- Responsible decision making: analyzing situations; solving problems
- Self-management: impulse control; stress management
- Relationship skills: communication; teamwork
For information about Arts Empowerment:
Jessica Maldonado, LMSW
jessica.illuminart@gmail.com
347-292-9713