Kick-Starter

Artistic activities provide a way for individuals to express themselves. Those with emotional or psychological difficulties often find it easier to open up through art. This is invaluable, as sometimes a therapist can only help through art. It’s important to note that artistic talent isn’t necessary for art therapy: the therapeutic value lies in the creative process itself.

Basic functions of art therapy include:

• Corrective function – regaining psychological balance, relieving frustration, reducing, or eliminating anxiety, treating depression, facilitating communication with others, building a positive attitude, reducing aggression, increasing self-esteem, etc.
• Educational function – enriching inner life, acquiring new skills, expanding knowledge.
• Recreational function – art therapy activities are a way to spend time and relax.

Various artistic techniques are used in art therapy, such as ceramics, decoupage, image transfers, stencil decoration, wall structures, painting, making clocks and cabinets for keys, Christmas decorations, graphic designs, compositions and other color selection, furniture decoration and more. It’s good to come up with new kinds of activities and introduce new techniques so that the participants can learn as much as possible. In this way, they can identify and develop their skills, determine their further training needs, or develop them as a hobby.

New techniques are shown at each session, but if participants request it, we also revisit some known techniques, finish projects started in previous sessions, or use the same techniques to decorate different objects. It’s important to ask about each participant’s needs. When they have many ongoing projects, they choose which one they want to work on. It’s become a place where everyone can come and work on their own thing or work on the same thing when new techniques are introduced.

There’s no obligation to attend all sessions. Each one can be a separate experience but if someone comes after a two-week break to finish a project from the previous session, they can do so.

Everyone sits at one table, talks to each other, shares stories and gets to know each other. The art sessions are not only form the Housing First program participants but also for team members. The sessions are relaxing and therapeutic, teaching cooperation as people help and advise each other. Sometimes one person helps everyone with something they’re particularly good at. Some of the activities require the group to work together, such as creating structural mandalas on the wall.

Many people who have experienced homelessness lack the knowledge or habit of preparing their own meals. They often eat in an unhealthy and random way, such as instant soups.

Therefore, cooking classes focus on simple, healthy, and affordable meals and include showing seemingly simple tasks like making scrambled eggs, which some don’t know how to do.

The program is designed on an ongoing basis, based on observations and feedback from participants, who sometimes need very basic information, such as how to use kitchen tools, spices, or how to separate egg yolks. When planning to prepare a dish, it’s important to consider that not all elements of the preparation process may be clear. It’s crucial to teach Participants how to use recipes – it’s good to go through a few together to explain the meaning of product names or necessary actions. Participants can be provided with printed recipes or even a cookbook when they learn how to follow instructions.

Collaboration is a significant aspect of these classes. Participants share knowledge and skills and work together. They discuss their tastes and preferences, prepare meals to take home, and as they acquire skills, they can be encouraged to cook larger meals and pack them in jars to put them in communal kitchens.