Veridian Academy’s ‘Expressions’ workshop focuses on communicating emotions through art

Veridian Academy, an organization dedicated to overall human development through skills enhancement, conducted a non-profit art workshop titled ‘Expressions – Where art speaks for your soul’ for both children and adults at the Light House Galley in Colombo recently. The half-day event was organised in partnership with Good Grooming Global and Union Assurance.

‘Expressions’ workshop focused on developing the mental health of young children in today’s turbulent environment where their educational journey has been delayed and their lives disrupted due to circumstances beyond their control in the form of the ongoing economic difficulties in the country. The parents were involved in an active discussion on various aspects of parenting including permission parenting, what can be changed to give children a better environment to grow up in while developing a strong personality, building good communication between the parents and their children and nurturing a mindset of tolerance and empathy in them. The children were given a relaxation exercise and requested to draw whatever that came to their mind using the art supplies provided. Taking advantage of the creative freedom given to them, they came up with wonderfully expressive art works. These art works will go through an observation process to provide the parents a report with regard to their child’s mental health.

Veridian Academy Founder Director/CEO Sameera Mahboobdeen stated, “As an institution for individual skill enhancement, we at Veridian Academy are dedicated to empowering our students through education and personal development. Humans should always try to be more expressive about how we feel and give importance to our mental health. Children should be taught to verbalize how they feel so that parents get to know what is going on in their young minds. The feedback from parents about the program has been very positive and we have decided to continue with it as per their request.”

Elaborating further on human emotions and relationships, Mahboobdeen added, “Emotions are the key that connects humans to one another. We all value the relationships we have built with family, friends, relatives and acquaintances around us but sometimes we tend to keep our feelings to ourselves rather than expressing ourselves. Emotions can be expressed in many forms in a dramatic manner, where art, music and drama have all become a channel for communication. ‘Guide your emotions through art’ is to emphasize the therapeutic and self-exploratory aspects of engaging with various. The event helped participants understand themselves better through artistic expression.”

Founded by clinical psychologist and trainer Sameera Mahboobdeen, Veridian Academy aims to bring overall psychological and skill related developmental programs that focus on individual level. The academy has successfully conducted several trainings and workshops in Colombo and other districts for school students and adults in the areas of leadership, motivations, mental health, and overall individual development. All programs are created with in-depth research and conducted by highly-trained professionals. The academy offers internationally recognized content and an affordable free structure. Students are provided one-on-one training to ensure that they get individual attention.