Born out of a spirtual vision in September of 2009, a group of friends envisioned a charity which sought to change their community and world for good using the arts as their primary catalyst. Within days, Art With A Heart (AWAH) officially became a not for profit (NFP) group. In the coming months, AWAH would achieve full Canadian Charitable status.

With help from a community agency, AWAH ran 2 successful 16-week programs for at-risk and already in corrections youth. During the programs, these youth participated in many different art activities such as: sculpture, wirework, modern batik art, and painting.

Through these activities, the youth also developed similar skills such as: the business of art and how to promote themselves, the writing of biographies and artist statements, and how to describe their created work. This program enabled them to build self-esteem, new skills, and an increased concept of self-worth. This process also helped the group build relationships with one another. This growth was a result of: the sharing of difficult life stories, hearing commonalities, and finding a peer support system. Each youth selected one finished piece to enter in the end-of-program art show which was a major success, along with the program itself. All of the youth received recognition and bursaries from the auctioning off of their artwork. The following year, AWAH was asked to run a similar program.

During the next few years, AWAH continued to expand their skillset to further hold and facilitate groups from difficult backgrounds. A number of members refined their skillset to a more therapeutic and informed practice. As they progressed, a group of talented, dedicated, and highly skilled facilitators/therapists emerged from the group and became the core of most of AWAH’s programs. Many individuals have since become Registered Psychotherapists with specialties in their area of training (Expressive Arts Therapists, Dance & Movement Therapists, etc.)

Throughout our lifetime, we have worked with many amazing community partners through both short and long-term projects and programs. These partners include: Muslim Welfare Home, The Refuge Youth Outreach, Fairview Lodge Long-Term Care Facility, Courts of Brooklin Retirement Centre, Glenhill Strathaven Retirement Centres, CMHA, Bishop Fisher’s Skills Link Program, The Lighthouse Retreat Ajax, Durham Family Court Clinic (DFCC), Life Church, W.I.N.G.S. Maternity Home, Rose of Durham, Autism Ontario Durham, Hearth Place Cancer Support Centre, various summer camp programs in low-income neighbourhoods, and more.

Since then we have developed a curriculum and launched our own programs. In the past, these included: BRAVE, The In-Between, Let’s Create, and Connect & Create. Presently, we have many programs; often running simultaneously. These include: Let’s Create painting Events, Connect & Create, Children’s Expressive Arts Camps (Christmas, Summer, March Break), Group Art Sessions for Adults combining Mental Wellness and the Arts through Expressive Arts Models (Coping Skills Through The Arts, Refresh…), Group Therapy Sessions led by Psychotherapists, Art Therapists, and Expressive Arts Therapists, In-Person Therapy Sessions, and more.

We continue to try to stay attuned to the needs within our community, and the needs of individuals we encounter,  to develop Expressive Arts based programs that act as a catalyst for deeper self-awareness, that increase self esteem, bring about healing, and expand the meaning of being part of a community in these peoples lives.