At Protsahan India Foundation, creating art isn’t an extracurricular activity; it’s survival. Within the urban slums of Delhi, teenage girls pick up brushes not just to paint but to reclaim their own stories. They look to the fierce beauty of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo and the resolution and resilience of Indian teachers and social reformers Savitribai Phule and Fatima Sheikh…
Trauma
The arts have always been a powerful medium for advocacy, political activism, and social change. Today, it’s more important than ever to harness the power of art to advocate for these critical causes.
Since 2010, Protsahan crisis intervention officers and child protection officers, have deeply understood from direct on-ground evidence of working with children facing child rights violations of abuse, violence and neglect within families and communities they live in, that childhood trauma can have lasting effects on an individual’s mental and emotional well-being. It can manifest in various forms such as anxiety,…
Childhood trauma is a pervasive problem in India. According to a study by the National Crime Records Bureau, there were over 50,935 child abuse cases were registered in 2021 — with more than one-fourth (13,089) of the cases registered in South India — under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, which aims to protect juveniles from sexual…
Gender transformative education (GTE) is an approach that aims to address and challenge the rigid gender norms and stereotypes that often lead to discrimination and violence. The GTE promotes gender equality and inclusivity by providing individuals with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to question and transform these norms. Art therapy can be an effective tool in the GTE process, as…
Childhood trauma, particularly that caused by sexual and gender-based violence, can have a lasting impact on a child’s mental and emotional well-being. It can be difficult for survivors to process and overcome their experiences, leaving them feeling stuck in a cycle of pain and suffering. However, there is hope for healing and one powerful tool that can aid in this…
Author: Apeksha Yadav “A story is what we want it to be ” Digital storytelling is a participatory practice wherein individuals engage in activities through different art forms such as cinema, photography, and filmmaking. The idea is to empower people by creating spaces for self-reflection, healing, and critical consciousness. It is essential to capture the imagination as it signifies the…
Author: Dr Murthy & Ms Radha Murthy Title- Book Review: Stories Of Resilience by Ramendra Kumar, published by Protsahan India Foundation Child abuse, more technically called, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) has come into greater focus of mental health professionals in the last one decade. Though childhood was recognized as important for centuries, the recent evidence of the biological impact of…
“Still I Rise”: A powerful live opera piece by girls of Protsahan Girl Champions bringing gender and caste issues to the forefront at Alliance Francaise, New Delhi led by Kalaripayattu & Japanese Theater maestro, Meera George. The title “Still I Rise” was taken from Maya Angelou’s poem, and the piece was a celebration of the “unsung heroines” from Kerala, who…
Having closely witnessed the impact of child marriages on the lives of adolescent girls, Protsahan girls produced a film on Child Marriage with the aim of encouraging conversations within the community. Their film not only had an enormous direct impact on the community but was also selected for the 8th BRICS International Film Festival in New Delhi, 2018. The film…