Community Arts

I have been initiating and leading community arts projects around the world for the past twenty years. Starting with art and drama clubs as well as community mural projects in South Africa, to community gardens in the Philippines and India as well as numerous arts and wellbeing workshops around S.E Asia. Since 2011, I have created educational resources, designed workshops (both online and in-person) and documented the healing journeys of participants who joined our wellbeing programmes with the wonderful eduSOIL team, namely, Amit Gupta, Anirudh Ashok, Raisa Gomes. We have delivered mindfulness, yoga and changemaker programmes for children, youth, teachers as well as mixed age groups. Many of our programmes were designed in response to the impact of natural disasters and poverty on the mental and emotional health of communities displaced by typhoons in the Philippines, the earthquake in Nepal and motivated by the restricted access to wellbeing programmes for underserved youth in South Africa, India, the Philippines and Sudan.

Our changemaker programmes have been conducted in partnership with the exceptional Design For Change movement founded by Kiran Bir Sethi, and focuses on empowering children to take action on issues affecting their lives using a design thinking process. My journey as a social eduprenuer has been inspired and shaped by Kiran from the moment I was riveted by her captivating TED talk and through the years I have years worked with her at Design For Change. Her support of my social edupreneur activities and my artistic endeavours is a gift. Kiran is a powerful force of nature, leading and motivating innovation in education in more than 60 countries, infecting everyone who meets her with the contagious I CAN bug and with a passion to BE the change we wish to see in the world.

I have trained with the following organisations with a motivation to invest in my own wellbeing while ensuring our programmes are evidence-based and informed by best practice and innovation:

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy Facilitator, Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice, Bangor University, Wales
Mindfulness in Schools Project, England
Mindful Schools , USA
Yogabeez Childrens Yoga, England
Sivananda Yoga
Palpung Institute

Thanks to the wonderful volunteers who have worked with us and the communities we have been welcomed into around the world, I have been fortunate to have received Spark Changemaker, LifeCo UnLtd Enterprizer and Lioness of Africa awards for the positive impact of our social enterprise work as well as the recognition and recommendations from many inspiring leaders around the world. I am currently interweaving my professional experience, contemplative and creative practices, embracing my own art as resources to facilitate blended healing journeys for individuals and groups.