This healing PhotoTherapy project , offers the Syrian Refugee children the opportunity to freely express their feelings and thoughts, deal with their psychological traumas, socialize by participating in group activities, develop their skills and receive the psychological support they need. Furthermore the children's photos will travel around the world, highlighting the real refugee problem through the eyes of children, raising worldwide awareness and sensitizing the public opinion.
In Greece, in multiple structures of open refugee hospitality around Athens, over 1.500 Syrian refugee children live in a restrictive and traumatizing environment with basic sanitary conditions. After months of excruciating travel and temporary living, children are experiencing very intense, unpleasant feelings being uprooted from their homeland, cming to terms with a series of psychological post war and conflict traumas. They, struggle with uncertainty and fear.
We will offer a personal camera to all participating Syrian refugee children, 6-18 years old. Our professional photographers host highly interactive session/workshop weekly for both photography and videography lessons. The children learn photography and videography techniques, choose freely their photos' subject & express their feelings through phototherapy sessions. Using laptops and projectors as tools, they discuss about the story behind each photo. Feeling creative boosts their morale.
Since the beginning of the project, more than 1,250 Syrian refugee children have learned how to use a camera, has attended cameras, attend phototherapy courses and have receive psychological support, adjusted to each child's needs. One exhibition has already taken place and more is being organized dedicated to the most characteristic pictures taken by the refugee children. We have been published on Greek media. A documentary movie will portray their life under a light of optimism and hope.
