Community Served
Young women and queer folks based at the Church of the Ceylon American Mission and the Suriya Women’s Development Centre in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. They are all survivors of trauma, war-related loss and violence, sexual violence, familial neglect and/or violence and continue to live in conditions of poverty and violence.

Project Goals
To provide them with the space to find a little bit of quiet; equip them with basic tools to calm their nervous systems in moments of strain or stress
To help them feel seen and heard
To create space for them to imagine a chosen future for themselves.

Profile of Facilitator
Ponni is a feminist activist, historian, lawyer, researcher, theatre and Expressive Arts Therapy practitioner based in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. She is building a practice, primarily in the Tamil language, among marginalised communities. She works largely with women, young people, queer and trans folks. Ponni’s practice is inspired by and rooted in Tantra as proposed by Lata Mani which leads her to incorporate the ethos of interdependence, radical equality of all beings, embracing the ‘don’t know’, awareness of our particularity/situatedness, taking joy in processes and faith in a greater power that holds us all.

Community Served
Children from Nizamuddin Basti

Project Goals
To understand and know the Self and the relationship with the body.
To understand Emotions, what are they, how do we express them according to others, and how do we want to express them?
To understand the Community, where we live, what are the challenges, and conflict, and how it affects us.

Profile of Facilitator
Jasmine is committed to working with young children and wants to facilitate them in finding their passion. She is a library educator and artist-facilitator at Aagaaz Theatre Trust, where she engages with children and their families through many arts-based processes. She enjoys sketching, painting, and cooking. Jasmine graduated with an honours degree in Political Science from Delhi University in 2022. She is a talented actor, and is currently deepening her relationship with theatre-making through her role as a part of the directorial team in Aagaaz’s play – Bhagi Hui Ladkiyan.

Community Served
Residents of Asha Halfway Home in Bengaluru

Project Goals
Helping participants with emotional regulation, expanding movement range and emotional awareness
Reducing negative symptoms using grounding techniques, sensory stimulation
Exploring balance through body centring exercises

Profile of Facilitator
Atmica is a qualified Movement Psychotherapist. She has completed her MA in Dance Movement Psychotherapy from the University of Derby, UK. She is a registered member of the Association for Dance Movement Psychotherapy, UK and with the Indian Association of Dance Movement Therapy.

Atmica uses a combination of conventional psychological theories and creative tools such as visual art, music and movement to facilitate the therapeutic process. With a person-centred approach to her counselling, she supports clients with emotional, psychological and relational challenges. Her primary objective is to promote holistic development of clients through unique verbal/non-verbal interventions that are informed by theories of the mind-body interrelationship. She is especially passionate about trauma work and incorporates neuroscience backed evidence-based approaches in her therapeutic interventions.

As a mental health professional, Atmica aims at providing a safe space for clients to navigate their concerns within the gentle holding of the therapeutic relationship. She works with children, adolescents and adults across various health, education and social care setups.

 

Community Served
Children and young adults from vulnerable backgrounds (Ananya Trust)

Project Goals
Building self-esteem and self-assertiveness
Building self-reliance
Exploring Expression through spontaneity

Profile of Facilitator
Dr. Radhika Jain is a theatre practitioner and co-founder of First Drop Theatre, and has over 7 years of experience in applied theatre formats like Playback theatre, Theatre of the oppressed, Shadow and Immersive theatre. Her foray into applied and social theatre formats ignited her passion for using art as a means to work with communities, groups, and individuals. This led to a certification course in Expressive and Creative arts therapy from the Studio of Movement and Art Therapies (SMArt), Bangalore. She is currently pursuing a course in Relational Gestalt therapy from the Institute of Relational Therapy, Bangalore.

Community Served
Students aged between 9 and 15, who live in and around Panchsheel Vihar, an urban slum settlement in New Delhi

Project Goals
Explore the children’s relationship with their neighbourhood through theatrical tools, material explorations, and cartography
Working with principles of body, space and time, while simultaneously creating experiences that help the participants question themselves, challenge each other, work together and empathize

Profile of Facilitator
Devika is an arts-based facilitator, located in Delhi. She primarily engages with children and adolescents using drama and other forms of art. She is particularly interested in experiences and conversations around gender and sexuality. Devika has completed her Arts-Based Therapy Certification training with Prajnadhara in Bangalore and is currently working with Aagaaz Theatre Trust.