Body mapping workshop: Let's find home in our bodies

11am-2pm, Saturday, Oct. 26

For Youth Initiative, 504 Oakwood Ave.

Have you ever been made to feel unsafe in our community? Join us for a body mapping session with social epidemiologist Zoha Salem, where we will use art and storytelling to find home in our bodies.

Accessibility: 

This body mapping activity will require you to trace an outline of yourself on a large sheet of butcher paper. Therefore, leaning over and stretching will be involved in terms of mobility. We will also be sitting on the floor, yoga mats will be provided. For Youth Initiative is a fully accessible venue.

Description: 

Body mapping is an arts-based research method used to help individuals share stories through their bodies in a creative and guided approach. In this body mapping workshop, Zoha engages participants with prompts that connect different body parts with certain experiences, incidents, and memories. Zoha creates the prompts based on the group’s needs and the circumstances shaping their lives and/or struggles. First she asks participants to outline their bodies on to-scale craft paper. Then, through a series of prompts, participants are asked to draw or paint responses to each question or idea. The participants are invited to share and speak about their drawings and how they relate to their bodies and experiences related to the prompt. Through sharing and talking about the drawings, the participants build a sense of community and support towards each other as they witness their stories overlap and intersect. At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to visualize the connections between the body and mind, contributing to their healing and wellness journey and building connections with others.

Instructor Bio: 

Zoha Salam MSc PhD is a social epidemiologist. Her research explores improving models of healthcare and service delivery for systemically vulnerabalized populations in humanitarian settings. She is also focused on developing psychosocial interventions through community-based approaches to support recovery from trauma for displaced populations. Born in Rawalpindi, Pakistan and migrating to Canada as a child before 9/11, her lived experiences as a first-generation immigrant shape her work.

This is a free workshop hosted by the Oakwood Vaughan Tenant Union with support from the City of Toronto's Community Crisis Response Fund. While the workshop is free, attendees are required to register.

Register by submitting the Registration Form below.  This workshop is for people aged 12 and up.