Country of Residence
Kenya
Age
20
Project title
Healing Through Art Initiative
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
Healing Through Art Initiative creates safe and inclusive spaces where young people in Kakuma use music, dance, visual art, drama, and storytelling to express themselves, build confidence, strengthen connections, and turn their voices and creativity into positive community action.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
https://art-and-unity-for-vulnerable-develo.vercel.app/
Project Category
My project is an existing project that I started
Project Stage
Growth (We’ve moved past the very first activities and are beginning to have consistent weekly or monthly impact)
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
My spark came from witnessing young people in Kakuma who had been forced to leave their homes because of conflict and violence. I saw them carrying painful experiences, trauma, uncertainty, and stories of loss. At the same time, I saw their talents, creativity, and dreams. Many had few safe spaces where they could express what they had gone through or how they felt. I realized that art could be more than entertainment or talent development. Music, dance, visual art, drama, and storytelling could help young people express feelings that are hard to put into words, build confidence, connect with others, and start healing. Through my leadership at Art and Unity for Vulnerable Development (AUVD), I started creating spaces where young people could come together and express themselves through art. I saw quiet young people begin to open up when they were given a guitar, a paintbrush, a stage, or simply a chance to tell their story. That was my “Aha!” moment. I understood that when young people affected by displacement and hardship have a safe space and are trusted to use their voices, creativity can help them heal, connect, lead, and create positive change. Healing Through Art Initiative grew from this experience. I want to expand these spaces so more young people can express themselves, develop their talents, support each other and use art to strengthen their communities.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
Many young people in Kakuma Refugee Camp have grown up with displacement, uncertainty, loss, and limited opportunities. These experiences can affect their confidence, relationships, and sense of belonging. Yet many of them have talents, ideas, and stories that they rarely get a safe place to share. I’ve seen that not every young person can easily talk about difficult experiences. Some may find it easier to speak through a song, painting, dance, drama, or story. Art gives them another way to express what they feel, connect with others, and build confidence. This problem matters to me because I’ve seen both the struggles and the potential of young people in my community. I believe young people shouldn't only receive support. They should also have a chance to speak, create, lead, and help shape solutions in their communities. Healing Through Art responds to this gap by creating spaces where young people can use art to express themselves, connect with others, grow in confidence, and take part in positive community change.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
Healing Through Art creates safe and welcoming spaces where young people in Kakuma can express themselves, build confidence, connect with others, and develop their talents through music, dance, visual art, painting, drama, storytelling, and poetry. Young people register and join our sessions, which are held every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for two hours at the AUVD space provided by community leaders. Each session begins with a welcome and check-in, followed by creative activities, group sharing, practice, and a closing reflection. Young people choose the creative activities they want to take part in. They create songs, artwork, stories, and performances, and they are encouraged to share their own experiences in ways that feel comfortable to them. We also train young participants to become peer leaders who can support and teach other young people. We make the space safe by promoting respect, confidentiality, and equal participation. There is no discrimination or judgment, and young people can choose what they want to share. We include young women and men and make space for young people with disabilities. Youth volunteers, mentors, and trainers help run the activities. The solution is already bringing young people together. Those who were once isolated are now participating in activities, interacting with people from different groups, and becoming leaders for others. We also create opportunities for young people to share their creativity through performances, storytelling, peacebuilding activities, and community events. During Youth Peace Week, for example, we worked with Transylvania Symphony Foundation and F2F Music Foundation. We want to reach more youth, create safe spaces, train leaders, provide resources, and amplify youth voices.
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
Through creative arts, I have seen how music, dance, visual art, drama, and storytelling can give young people confidence, hope, and a safe way to express themselves. In Kakuma Refugee Camp, many young people have limited opportunities to access creative spaces or develop their talents. Through AUVD’s activities, we have reached 500+ refugees, including 100+ young people, providing opportunities for creative expression, skills development, and community connection. Young people have participated in music, visual arts, and dance activities, gaining confidence and discovering ways to use their talents positively. My goal is to build on this impact through the Healing Through Art Initiative by reaching more youth, creating safe and inclusive spaces, training youth leaders, providing art materials and musical instruments, and amplifying young people’s voices. I believe this approach works because young people do not only need to be heard, they need spaces where they can create, connect, heal, and lead. The impact I hope to see is more confident and empowered youth using creativity to overcome challenges, build relationships, develop leadership skills, and contribute positively to their communities.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
Our innovation is in how we combine creative arts with youth leadership and community problem-solving. Rather than treating art as a separate recreational activity, the Healing Through Art Initiative uses it as a pathway for young people to develop skills, communicate their experiences, and address issues affecting their communities. The initiative brings music, dance, visual art, drama, and storytelling into one integrated model. Young people will not only receive training; they will help design activities, produce creative content, lead peer sessions, and use their work to raise awareness about community issues. A key difference is our use of local talent and existing community spaces. Instead of relying on expensive facilities or highly specialized programs, we will build from resources already available in Kakuma. Youth with creative skills can become peer mentors, creating a model that can continue expanding as more young people are trained. We will also document and showcase youth-created work through performances, exhibitions, storytelling, and digital platforms. This gives young people a way to move from participation to visibility and influence. The model is therefore practical, affordable, locally driven, and designed to turn young people from program beneficiaries into creators, mentors, and contributors to positive change.
How many people are on your team?
11
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
Our team is made up entirely of volunteers, including youth facilitators, creative arts trainers, and community volunteers. I coordinate the initiative and work with the team to plan activities and make decisions together. Each volunteer takes responsibility for their area, including music, dance, visual arts, drama, storytelling, outreach, and participant support. We share leadership through regular discussions, teamwork, and joint decision-making.
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
Over the next year, we plan to strengthen and expand the Healing Through Art Initiative across Kakuma Refugee Camp. We will reach more young people by increasing our creative arts sessions and creating additional opportunities for music, dance, visual art, drama, and storytelling. We will train more youth volunteers as peer facilitators so they can take greater responsibility in organizing activities and supporting other young people. We also plan to acquire more musical instruments, art materials, and other resources needed to improve the quality of our sessions. We will build partnerships with schools, community organizations, artists, and other youth-focused groups to create more opportunities for young people to learn, perform, exhibit their work, and share their experiences. We will also document our activities and youth stories to demonstrate our impact, attract support, and encourage more young people to participate. Our long-term goal is to develop a strong, youth-led model that can continue growing within the community.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
We bring people into the project mainly through community outreach, word of mouth, youth networks, and talking directly with young people and families. So far, we have reached more than 500 refugees, including over 100 young people. We encourage young people to share their ideas, volunteer, support activities, and invite their friends to join. As they become more involved, they also help us reach others in the community. We also share young people’s work through performances, exhibitions, community events, and social media. This helps more people understand the challenges young people face and see what they are capable of achieving. We want to continue building these connections over the next year by involving more young people, community members, artists, volunteers, and organizations in supporting and growing the initiative.
