Chennai: What began as a school research project by a 16-year-old Chennai student has evolved into a structured Art for Wellbeing programme that teachers can independently implement to support student wellbeing and expression, without the programme’s creator being physically present.
Shruti, a student of Sishya School, initially set out to explore whether structured art activities could help children express themselves and develop aspects of wellbeing.
Her research led to the creation of Art for Wellbeing, a five-activity, mindfulness-based art programme that was tested in two different educational settings.
The programme was first implemented at a school for neurodiverse children in Chennai before being introduced in a rural mainstream classroom at Swami Dayananda School in Manjakkudi, a village located roughly six hours from the city.
Art for Wellbeing Programme Tested in Rural Classroom
At Swami Dayananda School, Manjakkudi, Art for Wellbeing was conducted over five weeks, with twice-weekly sessions involving 100 children.
As part of the implementation, Shruti developed bilingual Tamil-English evaluation materials and trained the school’s teachers to conduct the sessions.
Following the training, the teachers independently delivered the Art for Wellbeing programme in the classroom.
Pre- and post-programme assessments recorded an increase in average scores across all five wellbeing domains measured.
Teachers also reported classroom-level changes they observed during the programme, including greater focus, patience and collaboration among students.
According to the teachers, some children who were less comfortable expressing themselves through words were able to communicate more readily through art.
The findings from the classroom implementation provided an important part of the project’s ongoing development.
Art for Wellbeing Moves Towards Wider Adoption
The Art for Wellbeing initiative is now moving into its next phase of expansion.
Shruti is developing structured teacher-training resources that will allow schools to adopt and implement the programme without requiring her to be physically present.
She is also in discussions with additional rural schools about extending the programme further.
The next phase is also expanding the settings in which Art for Wellbeing is being evaluated.
The programme is currently being piloted at Kripa Care in Chennai to assess its potential benefits for autistic adults and a geriatric population.
The pilot is exploring how structured art and mindfulness activities can be adapted for people across different ages and needs.
Art for Wellbeing Focuses on Accessible Art and Mindfulness Activities
Art for Wellbeing is not positioned as clinical art therapy. Instead, it is a structured and accessible set of art and mindfulness activities that teachers and caregivers can use to support wellbeing and expression.
The programme brings together student research, field implementation, teacher training and outcome measurement.
Its development from a school research project into a teacher-led programme marks the next phase of the Art for Wellbeing initiative.
With teacher-training resources being developed and discussions underway with additional rural schools, Art for Wellbeing is now entering its next phase of expansion, while its pilot at Kripa Care is examining how the approach can be adapted for autistic adults and older people.
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