For perspective, I’ll share a quick summary of the 37 Project Lebanon participants, consisting of 26 from Lebanon, three from Greece, one from Jordan, one from Croatia, and six from the USA – plus six ArtReach faculty members.  Many people representing a variety of cultures, languages, religions, and professional occupations.   These individuals have come to Rhodes to personally experience creative expressive arts therapies under the guidance of the ArtReach professional team to accomplish a common goal – to bring healing and hope to the children of Lebanon.

“I believe in art,” explains a child social worker from Lebanon, “and I believe we can change things using art that we cannot change in other ways.”  

Trauma is not a “one time” experience, explained Dr. Bernhard Kempler, ArtReach Program Director.  While the initial traumatic event may have occurred quickly, the experience of trauma continues to unroll over time, as people may become displaced from their homes, lose their jobs and become unable to support their family, and more.   In these situations, when parents are also suffering from trauma and loss, the role of caring teachers is especially critical for making connections with the children and finding the channels that the children can use to express their feelings and begin to heal.

The work of influencing healing is subtle in nature, particularly when leveraging opportunities to incorporate expressive arts therapies in classroom subjects such as science, math, and history.  The participants from Lebanon are committed to meeting this challenge in their classrooms and schools.

“The children are hopeful that we can reach a place where they can live safely,” explained one teacher of young children, who had asked her students to write down their wishes for their country, and she would be their voice for the world.  With trembling in her voice, the teacher declared the children’s one wish:  “We need peace.”

In Lebanon, as in many countries, the wish for peace brings to the surface painful memories of violence.  The teacher standing beside me during a group participation session recalled memories of catastrophic events in the war-torn Lebanon of her own childhood:  at the age of fourteen, she lost members of her immediate family.   Her courage is astonishing and overwhelming to me.  Not only the courage that a person must summon to share deep feelings of loss with a room full of people, but also the courage and grace she will purposefully share to bring healing and hope to the children in her classroom.

The participants from Lebanon, in addition to their professional subject matter expertise, were carefully selected to ensure that the country’s religions and religious sects were represented within the group.  Like the children, the adults seek peace.  I listened to the words of Lebanon’s children told through the creative expression of their messengers – a diverse group of strangers united in this therapeutic process for the benefit of healing each child’s emotional wounds today, and preparing the way for understanding and peace in our future. 

The commitment of this team gives me hope that peace is within our reach.