The Mobile Expressive Therapies Program was started by Khitam Edelbi, graduate of Lesley College, in 2009. It began when she packed her car—and later her donated bus—with art supplies, and brought her knowledge of expressive art therapy to schools in Israel/Palestine. Her goal was to promote healing in youth living in the stressful, and often violent, conditions experienced by many in Israel/Palestine. As described in the project’s proposal, expressive therapies offer techniques for coping with trauma, unexpressed rage and despair. They have so far proven incredibly helpful in assisting Palestinian children and adults cope with severe distress.

With funds from the Martín-Baró Initiative for Wellbeing and Human Rights, the Mobile Art Bus will launch a pilot training program with a group of 25 teachers from the West Bank so that they can learn to use expressive therapies with their young students and the students’ parents. A teacher’s manual will be developed to support this effort. The goal is to provide empowerment, resilience, and opportunities for healing to as many people and communities as possible.