ArtReach in Tuzla, 2002

The ArtReach Foundation's Project Bosnia: Tuzla 2002 represented the third year of a five-year commitment to Bosnia-Herzegovina begun in the year 2000. In each of those three years, and in the remaining two, The ArtReach Foundation equipped educators in communities that have suffered profound trauma to assist the children in their schools.

The 2002 program in Tuzla comprised ten days of workshops for 88 teachers and 150 children, together representing 21 schools throughout the city of Tuzla. The host school for the ArtReach workshops was Novi Grad primary school ("New City School"). USAID support rebuilt this school in 1997. Like many schools in Tuzla, Novi Grad suffered a severe loss of its student population when 71 children died, from a bomb, in the town square in May, 1995.

ArtReach expanded its art therapy-based program this year by incorporating drama and music therapy-based activities.

The ArtReach team consisted of 13 professional art therapists, drama therapists, music therapists, psychologists, and university student interns. They came from New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Florence (Italy), Athens (Greece), and California. They worked tirelessly to create and execute a well-integrated and organized program which was embraced by the attending teachers and their students. All of these professionals worked as volunteers.

In addition to the ArtReach professional team, nine outstanding Bosnians worked as interpreters. As survivors of the Bosnian War of 1992-95, they, too, were victims who suffered. They repeatedly told us that, as they assisted us in this program, they were helped with their own unresolved issues of pain and loss. They went through this experience at an intense personal level while, at the same time performing skillfully in the most professional manner, as interpreters. They are truly a remarkable group of people, and we are most appreciative of their hard work.