| Esperanza Community Services recognizes the importance of furthering individual artistic expression and has the arts as a core element of its mission. Our goal is to empower students and trainees with disabilities to tap into their self-expression and creativity and to increase their community involvement and relationship building skills. There are four core principles that guide Esperanza’ art services:
Creation in a judgment-free environment
Offering an environment where students and trainees know that they will not be judged is a priority for Esperanza.
Independent decision-making
In most cases, independent decision-making is not a fact of life for Esperanza students and trainees. But at Esperanza, they are offered the opportunity to make choices, such as what they want to create and which medium they choose to work in. The arts not only provide our students and trainees with the ability to make independent choices, it is also a platform to transfer these skills to other aspects of their lives.
Self-purpose
The process of creating art and then sharing it with the public allows our students and trainees to develop a sense of self-purpose and direction. By participating in art exhibitions throughout the City and selling their art, not only does the artist develop a sense of personal validation, it also reaffirms to his or her family that their relative with a disability does indeed play a valuable role in the community.
Inclusion
The arts at Esperanza are a means to facilitate community integration. Exhibiting and selling our artists’ works brings them into contact with the community by attending exhibits and discussing their projects.
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