Youth Program DEvelopmentPromoting Community Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in the district of Talamanca.
Arts bringing hope, expression and resilience to a border town in the south of Costa Rica.
Community Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention in the district of Talamanca
Program Leader
Fundamentes, 2017
I led and oversaw the 2017 cohort of artists that created workshops for the art-based prevention branch of the organization. The content and topics addressed in each of the workshops was designed to answer to psychosocial conflicts present in the community.
Responding to a mental health crisis with arts
In 2014, the local committee of Talamanca declared a state of emergency due to the highest suicide rates among youth in the country. The Ministry of Health, CCSS, Ministry of Education, PANI, and the Fundamentes project came together to create an initiative focused on bringing artistic outlets for youth as a means of supporting their mental health. Fundamentes established 'listening houses' offering art-oriented prevention programs, academic support, and psychological therapy.
A program of bespoke workshops
My role involved coordinating 12 artists to develop and execute creative workshops that offered a space for reflection and world-building on the reality of the community. We conducted workshops across painting, drawing, music, theater, photography and film.
