Ana and Axel are both 22-year-old Youth Leaders living in Caracas, Venezuela. Ana became involved in Special Olympics through a project called Connecting Capacities, whereas Axel is excited to join the Special Olympics movement as a new Youth Leader. Ana and Axel want to become Youth Leaders because they want to create a space for inclusivity and equality for people with and without intellectual disabilities.
In Venezuela, there is a high percentage of people who have difficulties identifying and expressing their emotions. Even daily activities and relating to other people can result in stress and uncomfortable feelings. This is especially true for youth with ID, not understanding their emotions can be stressful and hard.
Ana and Axel’s CreArte project seeks to help recognize their emotions and positivity express them through art therapy. Ana and Axel will host art therapy workshops, where participants will draw, paint, and use various forms of other art to help express their emotions. Each workshop will have a specific theme so that individuals can focus on expressing that emotion through specific art materials. At the end of the workshop, participants will discuss with each other on what they felt during the activity. The final activity will be a mural that will be painted together.
The goal on the Youth Innovation Project is to use art as a positive form of expression for individuals who have trouble identifying and recognizing their emotions. Ana and Axel hope that through art therapy, participants both with and without ID will be able to better navigate the world around them by being able to understand their emotions and express themselves authentically.