The need for expression, communication, creativity, and sharing is common for all people. This need can be expressed either verbally or non-verbally through various art forms which include theater, music, dance, and the visual arts. Apart from being a means of entertainment and personal expression, art can also serve therapeutic purposes.
The engagement with art can help maintain independence and control, strengthen, and activate curiosity and boost the desire for life. It can also enhance the mood for social interaction and create “a sense of pleasure”, thus improving the overall quality of life of people. Social inclusion and cohesion, and consequently the empowerment of the community, are some of the goals of specially designed programs that incorporate the arts in some way into their application.
The beneficial effects of art have been observed in the training workshops of the Eerasmus+ Project StaGe of Mind, during its implementation in Greece by the artistic organization Angels of Joy in collaboration with the mental health organization Society of Social Psychiatry P. Sakellaropoulos.
The StaGe of Mind art workshops are in the first phase, which is the preparatory period for the training of mental health users in the performing arts. So far, the positive impact on the users and the benefits they have reaped are immense.
The commitment to a common goal and the consistency shown by the participants is impressive. Although they started this process with reservations, anxiety, and worries, now they are responding to the best of their ability and trying to perform the required task in the best possible way. They face difficulties, which are mainly related to the concentration and continuity of the effort, however it is something they recognize, express, and ask to try again. Another thing that was observed during the workshops is that some participants discovered talents and skills that they weren’t aware that they possessed. They felt safe and confident in the workshops but were also encouraged by the facilitators to showcase their talent, overcoming the initial shyness of being exposed.
Participants answered some questionnaires regarding their experience in the workshops so far. Their answers indicate the benefits they have gained. The first and most important benefit that the participants declare they have gained, is the feeling that they belong to a group. In a group that accepts them and gives them “space” to express themselves and be themselves. Another thing that the participants report is that the workshops have contributed to the improvement of their sociability. They have met new people and made friends. They also point out that they can let go of the problems that concern them and focus on the moment. It is noteworthy that their motive remains stable. Through the workshops the main goals of the Stage of Mind programme are achieved, which include the social inclusion of people with psychosocial disabilities, their access to the cultural and arts scene, the elimination of the mental health stigma and the increased visibility of this group to through the cultural and art scene.
