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The BRAVEHeARTS Program has been a collaboration
between the Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach
and the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center.
We were approached by the Armory with this idea
to use art to help heal our veterans.
Since we have a Arts for Healing Program started with our youth,
we... the Board decided that what can we do for adults,
and the first thing we thought of were the veterans.
Through the BRAVEHeARTS Program with the Armory Art Center,
we are encouraging veterans to find another outlet.
I have a lot of veterans that I have worked with
that feel comfortable coming to the VA Medical Center
for their care,
but we want to get them more integrated in their communities.
And doing that through the arts
has been a very natural progression.
Getting them comfortable in creating art,
going to a community art center,
feeling part of that community base,
has been really healing and helpful for the participants.
So this therapy for me and others as we say
we... we... we have a group dynamics where we can laugh,
we can joke, and we speak the same language,
whether it be through the pain or our struggles,
but at the same time we motivate each other in here,
and we are being creative and productive at the same time.
Through these classes not only are they finding a home
for groups of veterans to... to come together
and have a shared experience,
but they are also finding community with the instructors
and the people that they are working alongside
with that may not be veterans,
but they are making these new connections in a space
that they probably wouldn't have come to on their own.
I have worked with the BRAVEHeARTS Program
for the ceramics component,
photography component,
painting component,
and now the metal work component,
and I find it very... very beneficial.
A lot of veterans because they struggle with PTSD,
the art helps them with their mental health
helps the right side of their brain
with visualization, it helps with so many things.
I have recently developed my art talent
that I have kind of been on the back-burner
while I was in the military,
and I heard about this and I said, I have never welded.
It sounded intriguing and I have never done metal sculpture
and I said it's a challenge.
I had the opportunity so I did.
The veterans are self-motivated people.
They are... they come in and they are ready to work.
Get... get the job done whatever it is.
In metal sculpture
there is a lot of tedious kind of boring stuff,
grinding, whatever.
These guys just went right after it, you know,
half-hour, 45 minutes grinding away without stopping, so...
It's a great class.
The welding class, I guess, just art in general
because I... I have never been an artist
and I have never been associated with anything like this;
and let me tell you, looking at that eagle,
gives me a lot of pride.
It's just like being in the military.
We've been utilizing teamwork
and everyone is trying to help, and pitch in
come up with a solution if there is an issue that comes up.
I... I had a major operation this year
and I thought it might be
helpful to work with some other guys
and get back on my feet a little bit.
I... I think the final project is going to really look nice.
Once we get it set, once we get it all polished up,
and everything, working on Sundays anyway,
it's going to be really nice!
In the long term they are going to have better success
in sense of achievements.
It helped them be more aware of themselves.
So, I would recommend it as a continued program ongoing,
and more veterans should be more engaged it.
The arts at the end of the day can...
can be challenging people.
They might say, I don't like art,
but if they would really honestly give it a chance,
they would see the real strong benefits of it.
I have been working with veterans for a long time,
and from working with them for years,
they never expected that art can actually
help transform their thinking
and help their mental health.
So, I always recommend it for any veteran,
if they are really give it a chance,
it would definitely help improve their mental health.
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