With funding from SAGA, YWCA will equip survivors of Domestic Violence with the technology and support they need to capture their stories in art journals, digitize their work, and share their experiences anonymously through online platforms.
YWCA will use their existing art therapy program as an entry point for survivors to enroll in Story. Using a cohort model, they will enroll small groups of five to seven survivors at a time to reach 30 to 40 individuals over the course of the twelve-month project. YWCA will equip participants with art supplies including watercolor palettes, brushes, and pencils, mixed-media journals, art instruction, and creative writing prompts to help them create an art journal that communicates their story. Once the arts journals are complete, survivors will have the option to digitize their journals and share their work anonymously through an online library hosted on their website.
YWCA believes it is important for survivors to have a platform to share their story safely and experience healing and restoration as a result. Their project, called Story, will do both.