Art of Healing Follow-on: Impact and Engagement (Update)

This follow-on funding project will advance the impact of our previous AHRC research and support for children and young people living in conflict areas. It is designed to enhance the value and benefits of 'the Art of Healing' (AHRC-funded: AH/V004263/1) by: delivering new therapeutic arts programming for at least 60 children in Kashmir; supporting project legacy; establishing sustainable team collaborations; and widening geographic scope and international collaborations for future delivery. Moreover, the follow-on supports achievement of Sustainable Development Goals including: the need to work towards peaceful and inclusive societies (SDG16) ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages (SDG3). This includes specific efforts to support mental health and reduce the global suicide rate.

In the Art of Healing, we worked closely with teachers, staff and 30 children at the Dolphin International School (Pulwama, Kashmir) for 18 months. Student participants demonstrated a number of troubling emotional and mental health challenges such as depression, self-harm, anxiety, lethargy and lack of motivation. Our research and analysis shows that involvement with the arts and art therapy can lead to significant improvements in wellbeing. This includes improvements in self-esteem, belonging, motivation and agency, mindfulness and expressivity. In the follow-on programme, our overarching aim is to build on these findings and continue to develop the impact of our research and support for children and young people living in conflict areas. This work will take place according to the schedule detailed below.

Timeline: this follow-on work will be conducted across four phases over 12 months. Critically, the leadership in planning and delivery of this work is shared by the PI Dr Buser and the arts team (Katkatha Puppet Arts Trust and Vikramjeet Sinha). The Co-Investigator team will provide regular inputs and feedback through virtual meeting sessions and be strongly involved in dissemination and outreach activities.
Phase 1 (months 1-3): Centres on networking, relationship-building and co-design with new partner and user communities.
Phase 2 (months 4-6): includes delivery of knowledge exchange, training, and arts-activities with partners in Srinagar (Kashmir), national and international outreach and advancing team sustainability.
Phase 3 (months 7-9): monitoring and supporting activities in Jammu and Kashmir and finalising our collaborative frameworks and sustainability mechanisms.
Phase 4 (months 10-12): final curation of documentation materials and exhibitions, evaluating the impact of these follow-on activities and ensuring continued collaboration.

Outputs: This project will deliver enhanced impact by widening engagement with new stakeholder communities, disseminating internationally, and strengthening the legacy of the Art of Healing study. Our primary output is to facilitate the delivery of art therapy to approximately 60 children living in conflict settings. Moreover, the follow-on fund provides the ability to further test our findings in new contexts as expand delivery and widen impact. Through these activities we will provide a project report (and web updates) an updated workbook and training materials as well as visual and text documentation and a final curated exhibition. Finally, the follow-on funding will support the establishment of sustainability via innovative collaboration and funding models.

Feasibility: we are confident in our ability to accomplish the follow-on aims and objectives in a professional and timely manner. Our team delivered the Art of Healing project through very challenging circumstances (related to the political circumstances associated with the conflict as well as Covid-19). We have established relationships, collaborations and working models that will facilitate project delivery and success.