Amrin, 14, lives in a highly conservative  home and school environment. Having her needs repeatedly ignored, she felt that she didn’t have the same rights as boys and curled into her shell. Timid and quiet when she joined the Dream a Dream’s Life skills through Creative Arts programme, she was encouraged to voice her opinion by the programme facilitator, Gangadhar. Realising that fear is taught through negative experiences; she developed the courage to  initiate discussions on gender discrimination with students from different schools and shared ideas on ways to design gender neutral spaces. Developing a sense of agency, she went on to demand water facilities in her school. The authorities, surprised at her forthrightness, heeded her request. Today, Amrin wants to “create a world where women are equal to men and are free to make choices without a man’s interference”. Art did not end the suppression or discrimination faced by her, but showed her a different perspective, broadening her thinking and worldview, making her challenge discriminatory norms. It helped her express, process thoughts and come to a place where healing and thriving was experienced. Thriving for Amrin is finding her voice in a world where she was taught to have none. It is pushing out thoughts of inferiority while standing in front of her classmates and expressing herself. 

Kantha, a facilitator with the life skills through creative arts programme for over 10 years shares, “Gender plays out in educational spaces too, where girls and boys do not mingle. In sessions, we intentionally keep art materials together, so that young people learn to share and communicate while appreciating differences. Creating a piece of work collaboratively establishes a strong connection between the participants.” Defying all linguistic boundaries, art is a universal language and therefore an ideal resource to understand the perspectives of others. While little value is seen in a young person wanting to pursue creative arts, it is a rich medium to develop life skills and has the potential to transform thoughts, behaviour and personality. Kantha  fell in love with colours when he was 10. Extremely gifted, he wanted to become an artist, but his parents disapproved. After class 10th, he started selling his artwork to support his family. Apart from finding his passion and economic independence, he commenced on a journey of self-exploration and transformation. A graduate of Art College; in 2011, he joined Dream a Dream as a life skills facilitator. He works with young people from 8-23 years helping them thrive using life skills oriented pedagogies.  He finds art a very powerful way to connect with young people and to create a safe space for them to express themselves. “I have found myself because of art. It is  as precious to me as a diamond. Art has no boundaries, no language. It is free of judgement as one’s work is interpreted differently by different people.”  

Art is inclusive as it does not demand certain physical abilities and social skills. It becomes a container to express true feelings, giving young people a sense of agency and belonging. The use of art can be strategic, particularly during negotiations and mediation processes when verbal communication reaches its limits. Farhan, 13, was bullied at school. Despite his good academic performance, he did not feel confident speaking in public. Since he found it difficult to express himself, the life skills facilitator started giving him small leadership roles. Farhan slowly built his capacity to lead through art-based activities. Once, when he was teased by his classmates while he was sharing, he asked them to follow the goals and agreements of the session which included listening to others. Communicating our inner state through art with a compassionate, non-judgemental facilitator helps cope with stressful emotions. Art promotes empathy, better equipping young people to cope with difficult situations in future. 

Tharunya, 13, shifted schools after moving to Bangalore. Having studied in a Kannada-medium school till now, she developed the fear of being judged for her inarticulate English and stopped expressing and sharing her thoughts in school. Often young people who cannot express themselves verbally, express themselves comprehensively through non-verbal and art mediums. When Tharunya joined the Dream a Dream Life Skill through Arts programme, she was surprised to find the facilitator, Shruthi, not scolding the students but being very attentive, caring and non-judgemental. Shruthi noticed that Tharunya’s batch always sat in separate groups of boys and girls, realising that the school had strict rules prohibiting interactions between them. Shruthi started forming gender balanced groups in her sessions. Tharunya says that this was the first time she realised that girls were not very different from the boys in her class. She started paying attention to the feelings and behaviours of others around her without judgement. When gently nudged to come forward with ideas outside her comfort zone, she became bolder and confident and took initiatives to ensure that their groups always had a mix of boys and girls. Today, she shares, “It bothers me that girls feel unsafe and need to protect themselves. I want to be a Karate coach so I could teach others to defend themselves.” Thriving for her is empowering herself so that she can, in turn, empower others. Kantha reflects on this, “Most young people enjoy working with art mediums like colours, clay etc. I have seen those who struggle with reading, writing and speech, open up through their art. In every session, we encourage young people to show their work and talk about it. This helps build their communication skills. Some people think art should look perfect but we focus on getting feelings on paper. That is where transformation happens.”

Art is a powerful instrument for collective reconciliation and it can be equally useful for individuals to overcome trauma and build a sense of self-worth. It aids catharsis, releasing strong, repressed emotions, bringing relief. While creating mesmerising visuals a young person experiences possibilities and awe, expanding their worldview and their role in it. As we prepare for uncertainty, art helps us try out different scenarios for the future in creative ways. Let us expose our children to art which challenges hate and promotes love, peace and understanding.