A.R.T. helps rebuild individual and community identity for refugees worldwide. Drawing upon the indigenous art forms of each community, A.R.T.'s programs are designed to enable the elders of a culture to educate and incorporate the younger generation in their cultural traditions. By developing self-sustaining curricula and training programs, A.R.T. engages children and adults in visual, performing and creative arts drawn from their own cultures.

News

A.R.T. is planning a cultural preservation and community program with our local partners; Sunna al-Amal, a mental health NGO, and the Ibdaa Cultural Center, to benefit Palestinian refugees in the Dheisheh refugee camp, West Bank. The program will enable community experts to lead workshops for children and youth in their art forms to promote emotional well-being and familial relationships.

With the onset of COVID-19, A.R.T. has decided to develop a stream of programming that can address the psychosocial effects of COVID-19 on the local refugee community, and build a program to address these issues, empowering the local community to use their traditions as a means of healing. The time spent in "pause", quarantine and social distancing, has put a strain on children, youth, and those around them. The need for structure, things familiar, customs, and traditions have become evident during this time.

A.R.T.’s work in Colombia was recently selected as one of eight Good Practices featured for UNHCR’s Colombia initiative. Our cultural preservation program in Punta Canoa was highlighted for its work in realizing refugee self-reliance, which is Objective 1of the Global Compact. Read more here.