Art is an incredible form of healing for youth

Supporting people’s healing, especially children’s, from trauma through art.

The Butterfly Art Project (BAP) is a registered South African non-profit organisation, established in 2010 and formally registered in 2013. We support people’s healing, especially children’s, from trauma through art, helping to build communities of healed people, with resilience, stability and creativity, who fulfil their potential, while creating spaces for others to do the same. BAP trains and supports Community Art Facilitators (CAFs) to provide art therapeutic classes to children in under-resourced communities in the Western Cape, Gauteng, and Northern Cape Provinces. During each term an Art Project is completed which guides children in exploring and developing confidence in using an art medium, while exploring a topical theme relevant for the children's age group through the completion of an art project. Children in under-resourced communities experience higher levels of stress and are at higher risk of experiencing trauma and require help in learning how to process stress and heal. 

OUR PROGRAMMES

1. Heart For Art Programme

An after school programme providing weekly art therapeutic classes to 220 children per week aged 6 – 21 from the local community. Each school term the children complete an art project on a topical theme which they explore in a safe space through art, developing confidence in using different art mediums, developing their creativity, and creating a completed art work.

2. Love Bugs Programme 

A specialised programme working with severely neglected children not in school. Each school term, 60 children aged 5 – 12, who are not in the formal education system, attend the Love Bugs Programme 4 times a week. This programme helps them to stabilise, improving their school readiness and preparing them to enter the formal education system.

3. Community Art Facilitator (CAF) Programme

BAP trains, mentors and supports autonomous Community Art Facilitators (CAFs) to provide art therapeutic classes to children and youth in under resourced communities. All BAP training and mentoring is free. In order to ‘pay’ for the training, CAFs must implement with at least 7 children per week. All CAFs must complete the 24-Hour CAF Foundational Early Beginnings Module, implement for 24 hours and present a Portfolio of Practice to demonstrate their competence. BAP uses an effective hybrid training and mentoring delivery system comprising of in-person and online sessions. This maximises accessibility and cost efficiency. BAP has a faculty of experienced expert trainers and mentors in the 25 topics trained – 20% of the trainers are BAP staff and 80% are contracted service providers. We currently support a CAF Movement of over 400 CAFs working in over 140 communities providing over 20,000 children and youth with art therapeutic classes.

4. Art Campaign and Exhibition

An annual Art Campaign is run on a pertinent topic culminating in a public exhibition in the end of the year. At least 40 CAFs attend workshops on the art campaign topic and participate in mentoring circles to support them in working with the children they teach to produce artworks for the exhibition. At least 300 children’s artworks are displayed in the public exhibition. Previous Art Campaign themes include Manifesting the New in 2021, Trial of Courage in 2022, Cruelty & Compassion in 2023 and Celebration of Life in 2024.

4. Project Cocoon

Project Cocoon supports CAFs in establishing and strengthening their own initiatives through intensive training, mentoring and coaching. From 2020 - 2023, thirteen CAFs participated in Project Cocoon and significantly strengthened their community based art organisations serving children independently of BAP. These 13 Project Cocoon CAFs'  community art organisations work in 15 communities serving 330 children and youth a week. From 2024 onwards, Project Cocoon will focus on assisting CAFs who wish to establish their own autonomous Love Bugs Model Programme in the communities in which they work.

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