{"id":700,"date":"2025-05-20T10:59:58","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T14:59:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev2.hostinghappisoft.xyz\/lart-au-service-du-mieux-etre\/"},"modified":"2026-09-29T08:29:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T12:29:17","slug":"lart-au-service-du-mieux-etre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lacch.ca\/en\/lart-au-service-du-mieux-etre\/","title":{"rendered":"Art for well-being"},"content":{"rendered":"

On May 10 in Hamilton, a one-of-a-kind art workshop allowed francophone newcomers to release the hardships they had faced on their immigration journey. The healing activity aimed to foster the emotional well-being essential to settling in and thriving in Canada<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yolande Melono \u2013 LJI R\u00e9seau.Presse \u2013 Le R\u00e9gional de Hamilton-Niagara<\/em><\/p>\n

Fear, loneliness and stress are among the main obstacles to the successful integration of francophone immigrants in Canada. For Congolese newcomers, the challenges are even greater: in addition to the difficulties of settling in a new country, they often carry the psychological wounds left by the ongoing crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).<\/p>\n

To address these challenges, the Congolese Community of Hamilton<\/a>\u00a0(CCH) and Area organized, on May 10, an original healing workshop called\u00a0Painting Therapy<\/em>. This creative initiative aimed to soothe, through artistic expression, the wounds experienced by immigrants while supporting them on their integration journey. Supported by the Hamilton Welcoming Francophone Community (CFA), the activity was led by painter Crystalle Katanga and special education trainer Ilda N\u2019sele.<\/p>\n

Before putting their emotions on canvas, the 15 participants from Cameroon, the DRC and C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire took part in a training session led by Ilda N\u2019sele on the emotional regulation chart. Made up of four colours (blue, green, yellow and red), the chart associates each colour with a specific emotional state. The goal of the session was to help each person identify which zone they were in and develop strategies to reach the green zone, a symbol of calm, comfort and well-being.<\/p>\n

People in the blue zone often feel fear or sadness, or are going through a state of unease. To help them feel better, it is recommended to offer them calm environments, listen to soothing music and do physical exercise.<\/p>\n

In the yellow zone, on the other hand, people feel a certain restlessness or excitement. To help them calm down, different strategies can be used: breathing deeply, drinking a large glass of water, asking for a hug, exchanging a few words with someone and taking the time to listen to their answer.<\/p>\n

Finally, people in the red zone are going through an intense emotional crisis. It is best to avoid any attempt at conversation at that moment, as they are no longer receptive. It is better to give them time and space, while remaining present, attentive and reassuring.<\/p>\n

The participants then created a collage of faces illustrating the different emotions shown on the chart. Then, at the heart of the activity, they were invited to express their feelings through painting. Each person chose a single colour representing the emotion they were experiencing at that moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne lady said she didn\u2019t know how to draw. I told her: Madam, just take the paint and do whatever you want with a single colour. She started drawing with blue. Then she asked me if she could add another colour. I said yes. She went to get green. Through this act, she showed that she had been in a state of fear because she didn\u2019t know how to draw. Once the painting had relaxed her, she wanted to change zones and move to where she felt better,\u201d said Ms. N\u2019sele.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a wonderful initiative,\u201d adds Congolese participant Mira Ekakola. \u201cI didn\u2019t know that when I\u2019m angry or stressed, I should take a coloured pencil and paper and draw. I discovered my own emotional zone, which is green and blue. Now I know what to do to manage my emotions.\u201d<\/p>\n

After expressing the emotions buried within them, the immigrants felt transformed, lighter and at peace.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe participants learned simple ways to get back to the green zone, the zone of calm and well-being. These tools helped them strengthen their hope and self-esteem,\u201d said Nancy Muinda, president of the CCH<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At the end of the workshop, the newcomers expressed the wish to repeat this experience, which brought them well-being, comfort and the momentum they needed to continue their integration journey in Canada<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Photo<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0: The faces glued onto the emotional regulation charts (Credit: CCH)<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Le 10 mai, \u00e0 Hamilton, un atelier d\u2019art in\u00e9dit a permis aux nouveaux arrivants francophones d\u2019\u00e9vacuer les tourments rencontr\u00e9s dans leur parcours d\u2019immigration. L\u2019activit\u00e9 de gu\u00e9rison avait pour objectif de favoriser le bien-\u00eatre \u00e9motionnel essentiel \u00e0 une bonne implantation et un bon \u00e9panouissement au Canada. \u00a0 Yolande Melono \u2013 IJL R\u00e9seau.Presse \u2013 Le R\u00e9gional de Hamilton-Niagara \u00a0 La peur, la solitude et le stress comptent parmi les principaux obstacles \u00e0 une int\u00e9gration r\u00e9ussie des immigrants francophones au Canada. Pour les nouveaux arrivants congolais, les d\u00e9fis sont encore plus grands\u00a0: en plus des difficult\u00e9s li\u00e9es \u00e0 leur \u00e9tablissement dans un nouveau pays, ils portent souvent les blessures psychologiques laiss\u00e9es par la crise persistante en R\u00e9publique d\u00e9mocratique du Congo\u00a0(RDC). Pour r\u00e9pondre \u00e0 ces d\u00e9fis, la Communaut\u00e9 congolaise de Hamilton\u00a0(CCH) et ses environs a organis\u00e9, le 10\u00a0mai, un atelier de r\u00e9paration original intitul\u00e9\u00a0Th\u00e9rapie par la peinture. Cette initiative cr\u00e9ative visait \u00e0 apaiser, par l\u2019expression artistique, les blessures v\u00e9cues par les immigrants, tout en les soutenant dans leur parcours d\u2019int\u00e9gration. Soutenue par la Communaut\u00e9 francophone accueillante\u00a0(CFA) de Hamilton, l\u2019activit\u00e9 a \u00e9t\u00e9 anim\u00e9e par l\u2019artiste-peintre Crystalle Katanga et la formatrice en \u00e9ducation sp\u00e9cialis\u00e9e Ilda N\u2019sele. Avant de coucher leurs \u00e9motions sur la toile, les 15\u00a0participants originaires du Cameroun, de la RDC et de la C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire ont b\u00e9n\u00e9fici\u00e9 d\u2019une formation anim\u00e9e par Ilda N\u2019sele portant sur le tableau de r\u00e9gulation des \u00e9motions. Compos\u00e9 de quatre couleurs (bleu, vert, jaune et rouge), ce tableau permet d\u2019associer chaque teinte \u00e0 un \u00e9tat \u00e9motionnel pr\u00e9cis. L\u2019objectif de la s\u00e9ance \u00e9tait d\u2019aider chacun \u00e0 identifier la zone dans laquelle il se trouvait et \u00e0 d\u00e9velopper des strat\u00e9gies pour atteindre la zone verte, symbole de calme, de confort et de bien-\u00eatre. Les personnes situ\u00e9es dans la zone bleue \u00e9prouvent souvent de la peur, de la tristesse ou traversent un \u00e9tat de malaise. Pour les aider \u00e0 retrouver un mieux-\u00eatre, il est conseill\u00e9 de leur offrir des environnements calmes, d\u2019\u00e9couter de la musique apaisante et de pratiquer des exercices physiques. Dans la zone jaune, en revanche, les personnes ressentent une certaine agitation ou excitation. Pour favoriser un retour au calme, on peut utiliser diff\u00e9rentes strat\u00e9gies\u00a0: respirer profond\u00e9ment, boire un grand verre d\u2019eau, demander un c\u00e2lin, \u00e9changer quelques mots avec quelqu\u2019un et prendre le temps d\u2019\u00e9couter sa r\u00e9ponse. Enfin, les personnes se trouvant dans la zone rouge traversent une crise \u00e9motionnelle intense. Mieux vaut \u00e9viter toute tentative de dialogue \u00e0 ce moment-l\u00e0, car elles ne sont plus r\u00e9ceptives. Il est pr\u00e9f\u00e9rable de leur accorder du temps et de l\u2019espace, tout en assurant une pr\u00e9sence attentive et s\u00e9curisante. Par la suite, les participants ont cr\u00e9\u00e9 un collage de visages illustrant les diff\u00e9rentes \u00e9motions pr\u00e9sent\u00e9es sur le tableau. Puis, au c\u0153ur de l\u2019activit\u00e9, ils ont \u00e9t\u00e9 invit\u00e9s \u00e0 exprimer leurs ressentis \u00e0 travers la peinture. Chacun a choisi une seule couleur repr\u00e9sentant l\u2019\u00e9motion qu\u2019il vivait \u00e0 ce moment-l\u00e0. \u00ab\u00a0Une dame a dit qu\u2019elle ne savait pas dessiner. Je lui ai dit\u00a0: Madame, prenez juste la peinture, faites tout ce que vous voulez avec une seule couleur. Elle a commenc\u00e9 \u00e0 dessiner avec le bleu. Ensuite, elle m\u2019a demand\u00e9 si elle pouvait ajouter une autre couleur. J\u2019ai r\u00e9pondu par l\u2019affirmative. Elle est all\u00e9e chercher du vert. Par cet acte, elle a d\u00e9montr\u00e9 qu\u2019elle \u00e9tait dans un \u00e9tat de peur parce qu\u2019elle ne savait pas dessiner. Quand elle s\u2019est sentie relax\u00e9e par la peinture, elle a voulu changer de zone et se situer l\u00e0 o\u00f9 elle se sentait mieux\u00a0\u00bb,\u00a0a indiqu\u00e9 Mme\u00a0N\u2019sele. \u00ab\u00a0C\u2019\u00e9tait une belle initiative, ajoute la Congolaise Mira Ekakola. J\u2019ignorais que si je suis en col\u00e8re, stress\u00e9e, je devais prendre un crayon de couleur, un papier et dessiner. J\u2019ai d\u00e9couvert ma propre zone d\u2019\u00e9motion qui est le vert et le bleu. Maintenant je sais quoi faire pour ma\u00eetriser mes \u00e9motions.\u00a0\u00bb Apr\u00e8s avoir exprim\u00e9 les \u00e9motions enfouies en eux, les personnes immigrantes se sentaient transform\u00e9es, plus l\u00e9g\u00e8res et apais\u00e9es. \u00ab\u00a0Les participants ont appris des moyens simples pour retrouver la zone verte, celle du calme et du bien-\u00eatre. Ces outils leur ont permis de renforcer leur espoir et leur estime personnelle\u00a0\u00bb, a soulign\u00e9 Nancy Muinda, pr\u00e9sidente du CCH. \u00c0 l\u2019issue de l\u2019atelier, les nouveaux arrivants ont exprim\u00e9 le souhait de revivre cette exp\u00e9rience, qui leur a apport\u00e9 bien-\u00eatre, r\u00e9confort et l\u2019\u00e9lan n\u00e9cessaire pour poursuivre leur parcours d\u2019int\u00e9gration au Canada. Photo\u00a0\u00a0: Les visages coll\u00e9s sur les tableaux de r\u00e9gulation des \u00e9motions (Cr\u00e9dit\u00a0: CCH)<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":701,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_breakdance_hide_in_design_set":false,"_breakdance_tags":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[90,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-actualites","category-nouvelles"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lacch.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lacch.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lacch.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lacch.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lacch.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=700"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lacch.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/700\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":702,"href":"https:\/\/lacch.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/700\/revisions\/702"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lacch.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/701"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lacch.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lacch.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lacch.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}