Art as Therapy

It was 2015 when I had just returned to Tehran from the Yazidi refugee camp in Kurdistan. I was sitting in a cafe and telling my artist friends about my experiences teaching art to war-torn children. During our conversations, my friend Arash Arwin suggested why I do not use my abilities and experiences in Iran, and I replied that I do not have a teaching license, so I can not work in formal educational institutions.

The next day, Arash called me and introduced me to a support group that worked with individuals and families with autism and Down Syndrome and was, of course, a non-governmental organization. The group was led by a woman named Alam, who formed a support group to help low-income families whose children have autism or Down Syndrome.

She herself was a yoga instructor who tried to bring these families together under the pretext of practicing yoga so that they could use their experiences by grouping and support each other in the face of problems. I went to their yoga classes three times a week, meeting with Ms. Alam for hours each time, and I was scheduled to provide a training program for families and a regular training program for people with autism and Down Syndrome.

I had 3 weeks to present my training program and this time was short and the resources available were less than that.

Finding Resources for Autism :

I called Reza, a friend of mine who had studied in London, and he kindly gave me his student code at that university so that I could access the university's library via the Internet also With the help of Reza, who was very good at searching the Internet, I gained access to resources from schools in the United Kingdom and Europe. Ten days a day 9 hours a day My daily work was reading resources about Down Syndrome and Autism Disorder.

Those ten days were a gift to me, and it was a daily study habit that I still have with me.

After that, for 15 days, I only attended the classes or the meeting of the support groups that were formed in Tehran as observers, and I was just an observer of what was happening or I was paying attention to what the audience was saying. It was after this that I realized that I had the necessary data to form a class and that I had to get the rest of the requirements on my way to the class.

I started with a photography and theater education program for people with autism and Down Syndrome. The class had a codified program with predetermined goals and had practical tests and exams to ensure the results were obtained.

I was faced with low-income families who did not have the necessary skills to raise children, let alone the skills needed to raise children with autism and Down Syndrome.

I was confronted with people who were ignored by society and who themselves did not have the skills to spend a day independently or with minimal dependence.

The members of the support group led by Ms. Alam were older children who were treated like a 10-year-old child and parents who were frustrated and full of mental disorders. And I was there at the suggestion of a photography and theater class in front of eyes that were unsure and had serious doubts about the ability of art to heal.

In such a situation, I was honest and I had no choice but to believe in my training program. So with a focus session for families, I began to explain their situation as I see it and my solutions to it. I said that photography and theater are an excuse to teach basic life skills And to draw the community's attention to their problems, I said that this course is to restore your children's confidence so that they can complete a project that is emotionally useful and effective.

I reminded them that parents will one day die and that these children will be left homeless in our underdeveloped society without skills, and that their children are no longer children under 14 who need play or a safe place to spend their days. Their children are now adults who need social skills to live in the community.

Finally, with the consent of parents and Mrs. Alam, I started my classes. Photography and theater class that had not been performed for these people until that day with specific approaches and goals. Classes include:

Photo Criticism, Familiarity with Digital Camera, Designing and Performing a Documentary Photography Project, Beginner Lighting, Dialogue Writing, Art of Expression, Yoga and Stretching, Text and Poetry Reading, Familiar with Music.

Finally, all participants completed at least one of the following types of performances: Theater, radio show, short film.

Here I will briefly address just one of the goals set in each topic :

Photo Criticism :In Photo Criticism, I sought to improve participants' attention, focus, and eye searching.

Familiarity with Digital Camera : Here I was looking to improve people's learning performance and motivate them to learn skills

Designing and Performing a Documentary Photography Project: Here I sought to encourage people to participate in the community and to use the early skills acquired by the participants, as well as to create an effective concern for an effective action that can be measured.

Dialogue Writing: In the dialogue, I sought to find the concerns, personal problems, and aspirations of each participant, as well as to improve listening and speaking performance.

Yoga and Stretching :With yoga and stretching movements, I sought to improve skeletal function and strengthen concentration and mindfulness among participants.

Text and Poetry Reading : In these classes, using Persian poetry and literature, I sought to teach the skill of expressing individual emotions and expanding the vocabulary of individuals.

In the end, all classes except the theoretical and educational sections had educational tours in the city, through which I wanted to acquaint them with their presence in the community and how to face the challenges they face in the city and community without the presence of their parents.

The output of these classes was a theatrical performance in the municipal hall of Tehran's 21st district, and a short film, a collection of documentary photographs, and a studio photography by the participants.

In the following, I will go into details along with photos and videos, and I will also tell the personal stories of these people