Over the past few decades, art therapy has emerged as a promising technique to change the minds of young people who are on the verge of joining extremist groups. This paper attempts to explore whether art therapy can prevent extremist violent behaviour and terrorism. Specifically, it analyzes the efficacy of artistic interventions to provide therapy to children from conflict zones. It explores the ongoing secondary research to conduct the primary research in the art therapy field to test the key hypothesis around leveraging art to help prevent extremism induced violence.
Geeta Vaishnavi is an Artist, Activist and Educator. Over half a decade of her career as a muralist, she has worked on street art projects across India. To her – ‘The World is her canvas’. She has painted on a plethora of themes ranging from ‘Women Empowerment’, ‘Child Rights’, ‘Conservation of Natural Resources’, and ‘Girl Child Education’ nationwide. She has been part of many restoration projects from quaint little villages in hills to bustling bastis of New Delhi. She is a strong proponent of how creativity belongs to all and should be explored by everyone. Being a passionate Kashmiri her paintings capture hope in loss, beauty in macabre, and peace in conflict. She is the founder of an Arts in Education initiative ‘Winds Of Creativity’ that strives to bring quality arts in education to children belonging to conflict zones. At JKPI she contributes towards arts in education, culture and working for the children and women of Kashmir.
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