Wellness and Healing Through Arts for System-Impacted Communities

Mental health

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

“Living in greener areas, or close to green and blue spaces is associated with better mental health” -- The Lancet Planetary Health Most prisons are built in remote areas in “the middle of nowhere”. Incarcerated people have little access to the natural world, spending most of their time in closed environments devoid of nature. The time they are allowed to be outside, often referred to as “yard time”, is spent behind barbed wire fences and locked gates. The prison yard is a dirt field without trees, shrubs, or flowers. Although some prisons have areas of foliage, they are mostly designed to welcome visitors and are not intended for the residents. If a prison is built near mountains or fields of flowers, these natural surroundings are far in the distance. The closest an incarcerated person can come to enjoying nature is to stand in the Yard at night and gaze at the stars if a person has a "night yard". In a level 4 facility, there is none.

The carceral environment is one of immense deprivation. People impacted by incarceration struggle to adapt to new norms in the free world, facing discrimination and isolation, carrying with them a history of trauma and low self-esteem. The majority of incarcerated adults were sentenced as teenagers whose education, and personal growth were often violently disrupted.
Natural surroundings are a haven for those who have experienced incarceration. One of the first things a person released from prison wants to do is go to the beach, hike, or sit on a mountaintop. TWP will develop and implement a site-based multidisciplinary arts experience that will allow system-impacted individuals to explore and express their feelings and thoughts about themselves in relationship to the natural world through theatre, writing, movement, visual arts, and music. Workshops will take place in natural settings and a culminating public performance, written and performed by the participants, will be presented in the Janice Cordova Garden of Well Being on the Cal State University LA campus. The performance will be attended by system-impacted individuals, their families, and the public, followed by a "Second Act" discussion where the audience, performers, and creative team can reflect on the content and emotional impact of the performance. This unique site-based presentation will create an inclusive community and have a healing effect on a community that struggles with reintegrating into the free world.

"I languished, despairing of hope, not even a blade of grass or scraggly scrub brush; only concrete, steel, and bad vibes. Reconnecting with nature--after serving a life sentence at a maximum security facility--made me feel whole again, human again..." -- Jeff Stein, Project Rebound LA Outreach Coordinator As system-impacted individuals reenter society, they must navigate complex social/emotional and real-life issues that may contribute to a sense of ill health, anxiety, and depression. Our project will increase wellness within the system-impacted community by providing vibrant arts experiences in a tranquil, natural setting. The opportunity to participate in our program will have an impact on public safety as the participants' mental health and wellness improves. This improvement will have a ripple effect as they are better able to interact with peers, families, probation and parole personnel, and the public.

The success of this unique project will be measured by participant engagement and feedback surveys, audience response to the performance during the Second Act discussion, and audience feedback surveys. The process and culminating performance will be documented through video and still photos, making the outcome available for viewing and extending the reach of the program design.