Using Art Therapy to Empower Young Kenyan Girls

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Title:	Using Art Therapy to Empower Young Kenyan Girls
Author:	Spisak, Stephanie
Description:	Maasai girls in Kenya are sent to boarding schools to escape unfair expectations, female circumcision and early marriage, or are rescued from broken homes and early traumatic experiences due to extreme abuse, poverty, or neglect. They have often lost parents to HIV/AIDS, addictions, or abandonment. Once at school, their self-worth and esteem barely exist. They carry great shame and intense worry being separated from their families, have immense self-doubt concerning a positive future, carry fear from their sex in a gender-biased society, and feel lost having no sense of belonging. They steal from and mistreat each other, their teachers are strict and demeaning, and they come from backgrounds not safe enough to call home. Through individual art therapy sessions, these girls were given a voice and opportunity to be appreciated, accepted, and nurtured. They were able to ventilate their feelings in a safe and age-appropriate way, cope with stress, and develop a positive self-image. Their art empowered them to be able to forgive their pasts, cherish the present, and strive to create meaningful futures.
Permanent Link:	http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=urs1209239573 http://hdl.handle.net/2374.OX/4221
Date:	2008

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Now showing item 4 of 17