Arts Holding Hands And Hearts Inc

Restorative justice programs step up, step out, make a difference (sus0) suso is a 30 week after school empowerment, self-care, and leadership program for girls in 7th-12th grades, motivated primarily by our recognition that childhood trauma and aces impact girls disproportionately and distinctively. The program was created to support the girls of coatesville in shifting their greater mental wellbeing from "surving" to "thriving" . In 2024-2025 this program was offered at the coatesville ymca. Each girl and their family received a free membership to the y. Expressive arts programs ahhah's restorative justice programs use the expressive arts to communicate the experiences of the young people involved and impacted by the juvenile justice system to their peers and the community at large. We use trauma responsive and mindfulness techniques to create safe and supportive spaces for youth to share their authentic voices and experiences. Ultimately, participants emerge with confidence, increased resilience, and positive pathways toward productive and fulfilling futures. Our expressive arts programs include writing, visual arts, cooking arts, and filmmaking. 2025 marked the eleventh year serving youth in the juvenile justice system. Ahhah provided mindfulness, expressive arts and cooking programs for youth at chester county youth center, concern 4 kids and daikon evening report center. Justice restored 3.0 july 2023, justice restored 3.0 was published which is a collection of writings from incarcerated youth at the chester county youth center and drawings from students in the chester county futures after school programs in kennett, coatesville, phoenixville, and oxford high schools. In 2024 the justice 3.0 traveling arts exhibit was on display throughout chester county. The exhibit has been displayed at public libraries, churches, ymca's and was on display at ahhah's 2nd annual restorative justice open house at uptown knauer performing arts center. The writing and art from justice restored 3.0 generates dialogue in the community around mass incarceration of children in the u.s. And a means to advocate for policy change to end the cradle to prison pipeline of children in poverty and of color. Restorative filmmaking program ahhah's filmmaking program is one of ahhah's signature initiatives, known for its creative, innovative, and trauma-informed approach to addressing the social determinants of health that affect our youth population, particularly those affecting mental and behavioral health outcomes. The filmmaking program has been transformative for participants, not only teaching practical and team-building skills that can translate to meaningful employment, but also instilling them with confidence and a sense of overall wellbeing. Ahhah's filmmaking program was established for youth on probation in chester county in january 2023 to have the opportunity to learn valuable media production skills for film while fulfilling community service hours. We bring in industry experts in the fields of audio, photography, and even film robotics to teach our groups how to create, inspire, and work as a team. The program is a collaborative project with the chester county probation center. Second- and third-year students receive a stipend as assistants working with a new cohort of youth on probation. The culmination of the program is the screening of their short documentary invisible no more: voices and lives of youth impacted by the carceral system. January 2025 ahhah partnered with the coatesville area school district and the filmmaking program was able to meet in coatesville's senior high school media tv lab that had been closed since 2010.