Our art and art therapy in the Calais camp begins

The first week of eight in the Calais refugee camp saw art therapists Anna Kalin and Fawzia Afifi officially launching the psychosocial art therapy project in collaboration with Medecins du Monde, where mono printing was used in small groups across several cultures in the camp. An outreach plan is being put in place with the help of Medecins du Monde and their volunteers and the clear need for mental health support puts our provisions in high demand, even at this early stage.

Alongside the growing population in the main camp where security presence is increasing, tensions have been rising in Calais town, where three small groups of Syrian and Sudanese men live.

Some people are presentng with PTSD and other traumas, some of which can be treated by our lead art therapist, Anna Kalin, using a method called ‘Children’s Accelerated Trauma Treatment’ (not exclusively for children) as established by an incredible charity, Luna. It works by re-routing the neural pathways in the brain so that trauma can be thought about in a different way, reducing flashbacks and debilitating memories.