Art workshop with Haitian street children in a post-earthquake context: Resilience, relationship and socialisation

ABSTRACT

This article forms part of a research project on the subject of resilience and the creative process in Haitian street children and adolescents who have been victims of natural disasters. A creative art group initiative was set up with street children in order to assess their ability to engage in creative activity and the extent to which such an activity could facilitate their reintegration into society, as well as offering an outlet for expressing their reactions to the various traumatic experiences they had undergone. Our working hypothesis was that the development of a relationship between the children, the artists, the workshop facilitators, and also with the context and creative process, could help to initiate a process of personal and cultural expression. It was also thought that the artists and workshop facilitators would provide substitute parental figures, who might act as catalysts in the children’s symbolisation process.

KEYWORDS:

• Resilience
• socialisation
• street children
• earthquake
• creative art groups
• symbolisation
• Haiti
• creative processes
• natural disasters

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Lisbeth Brolles is a clinical psychologist and holds Ph.D. in clinical psychology from CRPPC, University of Lyon 2.

Daniel Derivois is a clinical psychologist and professor in clinical psychology, Psy-DREPI, Univ. Bourgogne Franche-Comté.

Nephtalie Eva Joseph is a PhD student in psychology at Psy-DREPI, University of Bourgogne Franche-Comté.

Amira Karray is a clinical psychologist and lecturer in clinical psychology at the Aix-Marseille University, France.

Nathalie Guillier Pasut is a clinical psychologist and Ph.D. student at Psy-DREPI, Univ. Bourgogne Franche-Comté.

Jude Mary Cénat is a clinical psychologist and postdoctoral fellow at the UQAM, Canada.

Jimmy Pamphile is a master's degree student at the University of Haitian State, Haïti.

Elvire Marlise Lafontant is a master's degree student at the University of Haitian State, Haïti.

Marc Richard Alexandre is a master's degree student at the University of Haitian State, Haïti.

Gardithe Felix is a master's degree student at the University of Haitian State, Haïti.

Bernard Chouvier is a clinical psychologist and Professor Emeritus in clinical psychology, CRPPC, University of Lyon 2.

Notes

1 Presentation entitled ‘The effects of globalization on clinics’, Lyon, 16 and 17 October 2014.

2 Closing conference on the results of the research on the earthquake, financed and organised by Agence Nationale de la Recherche (National French Agency) and Fondation de France, 4–5 December 2014, Haiti.

Additional information

Funding

This work received the financial support of l’Agence Nationale de la Recherche (RECREAHVI, ANR-10-HAIT-002).