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Wales’ arts professionals sought by unique Irish / Welsh partnership for children affected by conflict throughout the world |
Wales’ arts professionals sought by unique Irish / Welsh partnership for children affected by conflict throughout the worldWales’ arts professionals are being sought by a unique Irish / Welsh community arts therapy partnership for children affected by conflict throughout the world. The Arts for Peace Foundation, which is supported by the Nobel Peace Laureate, John Hume creates recreation, education and respite programmes for children affected by conflict both globally and in the local community. The Foundation is creating a partnership with St Donats Arts Centre in the Vale of Glamorgan in south Wales and both organisations are looking to recruit a number of Wales’ youth arts leaders to fly out to Ireland this August to take part in the Foundation’s work. The internationally-focused charity brings forty children from some of the most conflicted areas of the world each year to a safe, residential community environment, this year based in the Wicklow Mountains in the Glen of Imaal courtesy of the Irish Army UN training facility. “We are offering a number of young community arts practitioners from Wales the opportunity to work with leading figures in the field of therapeutic recreation. Our programmes enhance the self-esteem, self-confidence, positive expression, articulation skills and self-presentation of children from some of the most challenging backgrounds” says the Charity’s Director, Elizabeth Garrahy. The Arts For Peace Foundation has worked with children from Europe, Ireland and the Middle East and uses the tenets of Therapeutic Recreation, an allied health profession as the template of its goal-directed life skills programmes. “Overcoming fear is extremely important. The experience of achievement that the children have through the activities we provide is profound. They are then guided to apply their experiences to practical living situations” she explains. The work is evaluated on site by Professor Marjorie Malkin, Emeritus Professor of Therapeutic Recreation in the University of Southern Illinois, and is supported at the highest level by the Irish government which has donated and is renovating the state-owned property, Durrow Abbey and its lands for future years. Janet Smith, General Manager of St Donats Arts Centre said, “Working with the Arts for Peace Foundation, which focuses on international peace and rehabilitation is a very natural partnership for us. Our arts centre is based on the campus of the United World College of the Atlantic, an international movement dedicated to creating international understanding by bringing young people from all over the globe to live and learn together. This creates a very special dynamic for audiences, visitors and the arts centre’s partners.” “Wales has a very strong track record of high quality community arts work and this is a great chance for some practitioners early in their careers to develop their skills in this specialised field,” she said. The programme will run between the 11th and 31st August 2008 and all accommodation, flights, food and expenses will be paid. Contact Janet Smith on 01446 799095, e-mail janetsmith@stdonats.com or Elizabeth Garrahy on 00353 45403959, e-mail elizabeth@artsforpeace.ie |
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| Janet Smith e-mail: janetsmith@stdonats.com |
Friday, August 1, 2008 |
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