Virtual Art Journaling Group

The Art Journaling Group was a pilot project in August 2020 when youth were experiencing the effects of a COVID summer; they were bored, had nothing to do, could not go anywhere and be with their friends, and mental health concerns were becoming present in our youth. The inaugural Art Journaling Group was funded by the Telus Friendly Future Fund and was a 6-week curriculum-based program that was condensed into three weeks and offered in a virtual setting. At the end of this pilot project we had measurable decreases of distress in our youth participants and knew we had something worth developing further. 

From that pilot project we transformed the program into an 8-week, strength-based after school program.  Each week is themed with a topic of conversation like, finding your spirit animal, consent, boundaries, what do healthy relationships look like, and many other important lifespace topics of conversation for our youth to explore. Each topic of conversation is paired with a corresponding art assignment for their journal. We also teach a new art technique each week to complement the art assignment. 

ACCESS provides all the art supplies including the journal, paints, brushes, pastels, pencils, markers, glitter, rulers, a brand-new headset, and anything else needed so our young artists can be successful in their art journal expressions.  Youth who participate in this program come to us for a variety of reasons. Some youth need the process and experience of journaling, some need the connection to our program facilitators, some youth come to simply fine tune their art skills, while others are bored and value having an engaging space to participate in.