API Introductory Course (Nepal)
The Arts Practices for Inclusion Introductory Course (Nepal) is a 10 hours online training in the methods and practices of API. The aim of Arts Practices for Inclusion Introductory Course (Nepal) is to give students and organisations in Nepal an experience of Arts Practices for Inclusion. Prajnadhara has been awarded the prestigious Millennium Alliance grant to train individuals and organisations in Nepal in the methods and practices of Arts Practices for Inclusion. The Introductory Course is a step in the direction of offering the 1-year certification training to individuals and organisations in Nepal.
Participants of the Introductory Course will experience the magic of Visual Arts, Movement, Drama, Play and Music as they witness how these modalities have therapeutic effects and can generate a sense of community and belonging which are the bedrock of an inclusive society. Participants take practical sessions in these different art forms and later discuss their experiences as a group alongside theoretical contexts to their experiences. Participants also learn practical self-care methods through guided physical exercise and meditative practices.
On 22nd January 2022, we conducted a webinar to talk about Arts Practices for Inclusion with organizations and individuals in Nepal as well as to highlight the grassroots level work that our alumni have been doing with children with special needs, women from marginalized communities, people with disabilities, etc. 55 participants joined the webinar from different organizations across Nepal, including participants of our API one-year certificate course and the 2021 API Introductory courses. The experiential session left everyone overjoyed and in appreciation of the magic that can be created using the arts.
On 8th May 2021, we had conducted our first-ever webinar on the Introduction to Arts Practices for Inclusion (API) certificate course for individuals and organisations across Nepal and the response was utterly humbling and supportive, to say the least. The participants represented over 15 organisations within sectors engaging with human rights activities, women and children, marginalised communities in Nepal, and individuals with disabilities, among many other overlapping sections of society.
Many of the webinar participants from both the webinars joined us in the API Introductory Course as well as the API one-year certificate course. Some glimpses of the webinars, as well as of the Introductory Courses have been presented below.
API Introductory Course – SGCP Nepal, 7th Batch
After a successful first batch of 20 participants from SGCP, Nepal, the 7th batch saw another fresh set of 20 participants from the same organization. With expectations already set by their peers of the 1st batch, this group came with a lot of expectations and definitely were not disappointed. An enthusiastic bunch of these 20 participants was introduced to the concepts of Arts Practices and how they can be used to build inclusive communities using Visual Art, Play and Drama, Movement and Dance, and Music as a medium. They took back the understanding of the arts, and how they can be used to express oneself in various ways
API Introductory Course – Nepal, 6th Batch
Our 6th Batch of API Introductory Course was an all-women group of participants from Antarang, Blind Rocks, and Visible Impact. This group was also another model of inclusion as each organization bought in its own ideas and perspectives. Art forms like Visual Art, Voice and Rhythm, Drama and Play, and Dance and Movement were explored and experienced by them through the 10-hour online training program.
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ANTARANG Psychosocial Research & Training Institute was established in March 2004 by a group of psychologists/psychosocial counselors in order to make people aware of psychosocial issues and to uplift the psychosocial well-being of a person and the environment. They provide Psychological counseling and psychotherapy (hypnotherapy, family therapy, child-parent relation therapy, etc.)
Blind Rocks! is a non-profit organization established in Nepal by a group of like-minded people who had a common goal of empowering blind people. Their vision is to envision an inclusive, egalitarian, and barrier-free world where blind people are integrated with the mainstream, living a life of dignity, independence, and access to equal opportunities in all spheres of life.
Visible Impact envisions creating a visible impact on lives of every girl, every woman, and every youth by unleashing the social and economic leadership of girls, women, and youth through beneficiary-partnered innovative interventions.
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API Introductory Course – Nepal, 5th Batch
Seven organisations came together for our 6th Batch of API Introductory Course. It was heartening to see some of the head of the organisations also be part of the training this time. The sharings and takeaways from these groups were multifold. The organisations were very enthusiastic to know how they could implement the learnings for their beneficiaries.
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Antardristi was formed in 2003 to address the social issue of child sexual abuse in Nepal due to the alarming scarcity of service provision in this area. Antardristi is one of the few organisations working to eliminate child sexual abuse within Nepal and undertakes activities in the areas of awareness raising and prevention, child protection, psychosocial recovery and social reintegration.
Karuna Foundation Nepal is a Nepali Non-Governmental Organization established in the year 2015. It aims to prevent avoidable disabilities among children and improve quality of lives of children and adults with disabilities and bring progressive changes in the lives of families at risk, developing evidence based scalable community models.
Sketch Nepal is a Non-Profit organization established to run programs to train and involve children in environmental activities. They also run programs on children’s mental health and children’s security. The organization runs awareness program against Child sexual abuse, substance consumption and cybercrime among kids in community and schools.
MAHURI HOME was established with the commitment to empower underprivileged, socially excluded and oppressed, indigenous and minority populations at the grass roots level. Over the last 12 years, MAHURI HOME has worked through donor funded projects and non-project activities to raise and advocate against human rights violation, promote rights of women, girls and children rights through Accountability Watch Committee in Nawalparasi, Rupandehi and Kapilvastu
CHILDREN-Nepal (CN) is a non-profit civil society organization which is also a Fair Trade Guaranteed organization that works to promote the rights, welfare and development of children, youth, and their families living on the margins of society. CN works directly with children, youth and their families by offering programs and services that help them break away from the effects of discrimination, exploitation and violence based on their caste, disability, gender and/or social status.
Anmol Special Education Center, Biratnagar dreams of a society where all the special children have access to a quality education.
Banke UNESCO Club is a non-profit and non-government organization established in 1990. The organization is dedicated to the ideals of holistic and integrated development based on a harmonious balance of socio-culture, material and organization trusted on teamwork and peace building through community development.
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Center for Dalit Women Nepal
The Introductory Course with CDWN saw the participation of women who primarily work in the empowerment of women in marginalised communities. This batch experienced the various Art forms like Visual Art, Voice and Rhythmn, Drama and Play, Dance and Movement and was keen to implement them in the various training sessions they conduct for their beneficiaries.
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Center for Dalit Women Nepal was formed by a group of Dalit women social activists and political leaders in 2016. Coming from the Dalit community, the seven founders had first-hand experience of the exclusion and discrimination that affects so many Dalit women in Nepal. They decided to pool their resources and set up a tiny office in an old neighbourhood of Kathmandu. The founders, drawn from Dalit communities throughout Nepal, felt they were in a unique position to create a positive impact because of their experience in advocacy, politics and human rights activism. They formed CDWN with the need for more Dalit women representation in government with the aim of drafting policies that protect and support women in marginalized communities.
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Sambhavya Foundation, BYAN and Mahuri Home
Our third batch of Introductory course saw 3 different organisations coming together. The 10-hour training conducted online had the participants explore, experience and understand an overview of the application of various art forms like Visual Art, Voice and Rhythm, Drama and Play and Dance and Movement in building inclusive communities. This batch was a perfect model of inclusion as each of the organisations were different in their own way. This session provided an opportunity for the organisations to meet and greet each other and also know the wonderful work each of them do. Throughout the sessions the group were supporting and encouraging each other’s participation. The feedback from each of these groups also bought in different ideas and perspectives.
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Sambhavya Foundation is a team of dedicated and enthusiastic school counsellors, pursuits in MA Clinical Psychology and counselling psychologists glued together with a common goal of supporting the education system through psychological counselling services. It is an organization established with an aim to provide mental health counseling services to everyone, especially focused on schools.
Blind Youth Association Nepal (BYAN) is a right based organisation established to advocate and promote the rights of blind and partially sighted youth that are scattered across the country of Nepal. The members of this organisation are visually challenged and partially sighted youth. Since its establishment, this organization has expanded its organisational network in different parts of the country and has been conducting different programs such as capacity building, leadership development, personality development and skill development related training to the blind and partially sighted youth.
MAHURI HOME was established with the commitment to empower underprivileged, socially excluded and oppressed, indigenous and minority populations at the grass roots level. Over the last 12 years, MAHURI HOME has worked through donor funded projects and non-project activities to raise and advocate against human rights violation, promote rights of women, girls and children rights through Accountability Watch Committee in Nawalparasi, Rupandehi and Kapilvastu.
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SGCP Nepal
A 5-day online training was conducted for a team of 20 teachers, rehabilitation facilitators, physiotherapists and home visitors of SGCP. The training conducted online had the participants explore, experience and understand an overview of the application of various art forms like Visual Art, Voice and Rhythm, Drama and Play and Dance and Movement in building inclusive communities.
The Self-help Group for Cerebral Palsy, Nepal, is a non-governmental and non-profit organization fully committed to helping children and adults with cerebral palsy and to provide emotional and practical support to their parents. The group, established in October 1987, is a team of medical professionals, university teachers, parents of disabled children and social workers with a common desire to improve the quality of life of people with cerebral palsy. They help children, youth and adults in physical and/or mental disability conditions due to cerebral palsy to lead a simple life and to be self-reliant through appropriate treatment.
Autism Care Nepal Society
The API introductory course was a 6 day online programme where 13 teachers, special educators, and psychologists from ACNS got an experience of Arts Practices for Inclusion. The participants of the Introductory Course experienced the magic of Visual Arts, Movement, Drama, Play and Music during the course.
ACNS is the only active autism organisation run by a group of parents. Their mission is to empower people with Autism, promote their rights and utilise their skills in an effective and meaningful way. They work on multiple projects and in collaboration with different organisations around the world to create awareness on Autism.