Join us for a safe and supportive workshop designed exclusively for members who identify as Black. Guided by a professional art therapist, this session provides a space to process and express the impact of racism through creative expression. No artistic experience is needed, just your voice, your story, and the freedom to create.
DETAILS:
- Thursday, November 27 at 4:30 PM – 6 PM
- Gracedale Public School
- 186 Gracedale Blvd, North York, M9L2C1
- Download the poster
“Restoring the Self” explores how creative processes can help reclaim identity, affirm worth, and cultivate joy amid racialized work environments. Art Therapist, Georgia Fullerton’s approach emphasizes compassion, creativity, and cultural validation, guiding participants to transform emotion into expression, and expression into empowerment. Expressive Arts Therapy (ExAT) integrates visual arts, movement, writing, and sound to foster holistic healing.
Black educators often experience racialized stress, isolation, and emotional exhaustion in work environments that may not validate their lived experiences. Traditional professional development rarely addresses these realities through culturally relevant or creative means. Expressive Arts Therapy (ExAT) provides an inclusive, culturally attuned approach to healing that speaks through image, movement, and sound, restoring balance where language alone may fail.
This workshop supports emotional wellness, self-connection, and resilience while fostering community among Black educators who share parallel experiences of racial trauma and professional burnout. It is geared to ETT members that identify as Black seeking creative ways to process experiences of microaggression, bias, or systemic inequity, open to self-reflection, community dialogue, and creative practice as a pathway to renewal.
Participants will:
- Experience emotional release and self-restoration through creative expression.
- Identify personal strategies for maintaining wellbeing amid racialized stress.
- Strengthen a sense of cultural identity and belonging.
- Build connections with other Black educators for mutual support.
- Leave with tangible art pieces and reflective writings that affirm their resilience and self-worth.
Space is limited and a brief confidential questionnaire is required for the art therapist upon registration. Please contact Jennifer Brown for questions at jbrown@ett.on.ca or 416-708-8579.
