Speaking Through Silence

In one of my education classes earlier this semester, one of my teachers mentioned a book called Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.  Since it seemed similar to what I would be dealing with both this summer and later on in my life as a teacher, I bought it and finally found time to read it this past week (I did a lot of free reading during finals to de-stress myself…).

What struck me about this book is that the story is not all that different when you get right down to the nitty gritty from the story of Sold.  The context was different: one in Nepal, one in New York.  One sold to a brothel, one taken advantage of at a party.  One reaching out to be rescued, one refusing to speak in hopes that the memories will fade.  But the story is the same: rape, brokenness, emotional scars, and a long road ahead to healing.

Something that brought me hope through this particular book, however, was how this young girl eventually found her voice: through art.  It was her art teacher that saw the pain depicted in her paintings and helped her to confront it.  This summer I’ll be working with Project Rescue; but part of what we will do will involve a method/idea called Rescue Arts.  Rescue Arts is the idea of using arts therapy to work with girls who have been victimized and helping them begin the healing process.  It utilizes drama, singing, dancing, writing (my strong point), and other artistic endeavors to give these girls a voice!  They are finally free to speak without fear of consequences for sharing their thoughts!