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Business & Tech

Nonprofit Helps Homeless Children Express Themselves

DrawBridge provides homeless children with an artistic outlet.

Paste, paint, construction paper and markers crowd the tables. Seated around them are a group of children with one very specific thing in common - they are all homeless.

Currently they are utilizing the services of Drawbridge, a non-profit established to provide art therapy as an outlet for vulnerable youth. As Executive Director Pamela describes her organization, it's all about the process.

"The children are given the opportunity to create art, make a mess and be a child," she explained. "[Our program] does not put an emphasis on the final product."

Originally the brainchild of Gloria Simoneaux, Drawbridge was created out of her experience providing art therapy for terminally ill youth. She translated this work into the wholly separate arena of aiding homeless children. Started in 1989, Drawbridge now has art groups occurring in 25 shelters throughout 7 Bay Area counties every week.

During these groups, 60 volunteers and 25 salaried art facilitators work with children to provide them a safe space to create and express themselves. Its impact is unique to San Rafael.

"Drawbridge is the only program of its kind in the Bay Area," Morton said. "We make a difference in homeless and at-risk children's lives every day."

A typical group session lasts one to one and half hours, and is based around a project selected by a facilitator. Children are always given the opportunity to "opt-out" if the project isn't to their liking.

With four sites in San Rafael alone, Drawbridge has given a new outlet to underprivileged youth. Morton is keen to emphasize the importance of this point.

"For many of our children we serve, this is their only access to creating art. Our program in San Rafael is all about giving them the freedom to create whatever they like."

When asked if she could recall any specific success stories, Morton shared the following anecdote:

"I met a high school junior last year who had lived at a domestic shelter when she was 11 and 12. She had participated in a Drawbridge group the two years she lived at the shelter with her mom and told me how the adults in the group helped her come out of her shell. In 11th grade, she had to participate in a community service project and she went back to the shelter and became one of our volunteers. She said the program made such a difference to her that she wanted to be able to do that for other children."

Tapping into one's creative outlet is something everyone should have access to. Drawbridge adheres to this concept, basing their charter in part on psychologist Carl Rogers, who once said, "The client knows what hurts, what directions to go, what problems are crucial and what experiences have been buried." Thus, the importance of being able to access these experiences is one of the primary goals of Drawbridge. Having the chance to produce art is some sense tantamount to survival, at least from an emotional standpoint.

As Pamela explains it, "[Children] have a chance to be a child in a safe environment and smile. Creating art increases their self-esteem and helps them cope with their family’s situation."

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