JDC Moscow Helps Youth with Disabilities Create and Connect at Art Therapy Festival

"Papa, come here! This is the Joint [JDC] group," insisted Yosif, 14, pulling his father by the hand through the mess of suitcases, backpacks and people hugging goodbye in the pouring summer rain. Yosif was surrounded by 200 students from the Kovtcheg School and others in an emotional departure from Moscow to an art therapy festival in the St. Petersburg countryside.

The second annual Integrative Art Therapy Festival "Wandering Stars" took place on the Gulf of Finland in July 2004. Organized by the well-established, integrated Kovtcheg School, this year's festival was the first non-sectarian project supported by the JDC office in Moscow, and also benefited from the help of IREX and USAID's (the U.S. government agency that provides economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide) Assistance to Russian Orphans program.

The annual festival gathers children with disabilities, their parents and professionals who work with them throughout the year for a week of creative and intensive therapeutic programs and activities. Many non-disabled children from the Kovtcheg School also attend, which helps to create a sense of community among all of the participants.

As part of its support, JDC sponsored a Jewish delegation to go to the festival – from communities throughout the FSU – who were identified through their local Jewish Community Centers (JCCs). The group, of which Yosif was a part, included physical therapists, art teachers, physicians, and children with physical or mental disabilities and their parents.

A friendly teenager who suffers from autism, Yosif was selected to attend the event with his father. Adda, Yosif's JCC caseworker, says, "He is charming, plays guitar, sings well, and is always ready for something new." He lives with his dad, and the two look after each other. "Both of them lack moral support, and Yosif's father requires professional and peer advice on how to help his son."

The festival was precisely the "therapy" that Yosif and his father needed.

Each day different festival organizers, guest professionals and volunteers from Russia, France, Germany and Switzerland led arts and crafts studios for groups of youngsters. A team of German teachers and children, for example, managed a jewelry studio that helped to develop pupils' motor skills as they produced various metal rings and pendants. Yosif chose to participate in ceramics, paintings and paperwork studios, among others.

Kovtcheg also invited the French therapy theater ensemble, Turbulence, to provide musical stimulation for children and young adults suffering from autism and Downs Syndrome. Yosif thrived in the specially-tailored rhythmic dances, where he moved freely in the middle of the circle to inspiring drum beats.

One of the most unique classes was held by a German volunteer, Echart, who lives outside of Moscow and runs a rehabilitation village for children with special needs and their parents from Kovtcheg. He brought an ancient wood-carving machine – which he uses to teach children at his village – to the festival.

Catamaran rides on the gulf were also among the week's highlights.

The event featured diverse, multi-ethnic artistic influences, including a predominant Jewish theme throughout the festival. This included a performance of Golem in French, Russian and Yiddish with Klezmer musical accompaniment.

Throughout his stay, Yosif made friends with many children from different cities without paying attention to their disabilities or his own. In fact, he forged such strong relationships at the festival that he plans to come to the Kovcheg School to visit with them and continue activities together.

Special guests to the festival included representatives of local governments and regional authorities from Siberia who are responsible for education, social and health services; JDC staff; and a delegation from USAID.