Creative community recovery projects following a disaster can be a powerful platform for people to express their grief, frustration and loss, as well as their compassion and connection.

 

A creative Recovery is a particular approach to supporting individuals and communities after a disaster. It involves introducing play, art and creativity as tools to work through feelings of grief, acknowledge pain, foster connection, and ultimately, to build stronger communities and richer and more meaningful lives. It is an approach that creates physical, mental and spiritual spaces, where people feel safe and connected to one another. Spaces where stories are told, decisions can be examined and worked out and dreams and plans come into being. At its finest, creative recovery projects express community dreams and hope for the future, becoming a steadying and guiding light through the rocky mess of getting emotions and life in some semblance of order after the chaos of a disaster.

 

McNaughton, Wills and Lallemant Leading in Disaster Recovery - A Companion Through the Chaos (2017)

We have engaged the Creative Recovery Network https://creativerecovery.net.au/  to help guide our process and navigate this sensitive space.