Community Healing Through Creative Art Expressions for Undocumented Students
This project was successfully funded in 2021 (read the two pager to learn more about its outcomes). This project will re-launch in Fall 2023.
A collaborative effort between the Chicano/a/x Department, the AB540 and Undocumented Center, and TANA (Taller Arte del Nuevo Amanecer) to provide undocumented and immigrant students from mixed-immigration status families with a safe space to engage in healing artistic expression and develop new skills to promote their mental health and emotional well-being.
Introduction:
The Emotional Well-Being and Healing Through Creative Art Expressions program was designed for undocumented and immigrant students from mixed-immigration status families on campus. Although undocumented students face higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression because of their documentation status, they are less likely to seek out or utilize mental health care services due to either structural or psychosocial barriers. In effort to reduce stigmatization around mental health (one of the barriers), this project aims to create an accessible, safe environment where students can explore and learn different modalities of creative arts to heal and promote their mental health and well-being.
Outcomes:
The main objective of this project is to decrease stigmatization around mental health, provide a safe environment, and promote the mental health and well-being of undocumented students and students from mixed-immigration status families. The program hopes to provide students with the opportunity to learn new avenues of healing and coping strategies alongside other students who share a similar background.
Opportunities for Involvement:
Students will be involved in the project as assistants and coordinators to help recruiting
participants and assist with the program implementation and collection of data.
Recent Milestones:
One student is already hired to work on the coordination and implementation of the program.
Two student interns are currently working on the coordination and implementation of the program.
Application officially open! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1IN4GmZiV_ApdU1tdx7n1eeJJv3f1vUVNqF6fz_a4NF8/viewform?edit_requested=true
Project Lead(s):
Mónica Torreiro-Casal
Lecturer
Chicano/a/x Department
mtorreirocasal@ucdavis.edu
Laura Bohorquez Garcia
Director
AB540 and Undocumented Student Center
lbohorq@ucdavis.edu
Jose Arenas
Lecturer
Chicana/o/x Studies
jaarenas@ucdavis.edu
Karen Miranda Chavez
Student Coordinator
Emotional Well-Being and Healing Through Creative Art Expressions Program
kmmirandachavez@ucdavis.edu
Natalia Soto Acevedo
Student Assistant
Emotional Well-Being and Healing Through Creative Art Expressions Program
nsotoacevedo@ucdavis.edu