Using the art in self-care A workshop for Media Freedoms Observatory in Yemen

Media Freedoms Observatory has lunched a workshop on self-care through art on Monday, which held on Zoom app that attended 30 journalists from various Yemeni governorates.
The workshop comes within the project of media freedoms promotion which implements by MFO. It has included many techniques to figure out the value of art to create safety moments while facing the difficulties and challenges experienced oneself through exercises offered to participants such as drawing and writing words related to self-esteem such as feeling tired, overwhelmed or comfortable.
Also, the Dutch trainer (Anne van den Ouwelant) has confirmed about the importance of creating beautiful stuff to calm the alarm-bell for the person, and control the emphasis and reduce stress levels.
She added that, “art is one of the effective methods to calm the alarm-bell, which it performs the bilateral stimuli that link the left and right lobes in the brain and work together”.
At the end of the session Mrs. Den Ouwelant has guided and advised the journalists to have exercises that help them to create the inner peace and find the psychological support sources while living the chronic traumatic situations.
On the other hand; Mohammed Ismail (the executive manager of SEMC) said that, “this workshop, which is part of a series of digital training workshops aims to increase the awareness of mental health among Yemeni journalists”. Also, he added: “At the Media Freedoms Observatory, we pay special attention to mental health. The workshops are among other efforts of the Observatory such as providing individual sessions through a clinic specialized in providing psychological support to journalists”.
In addition; there will be another workshop that hold on next Wednesday and focuses on Resilience and how can they cultivate resilience with themselves and with others during internal and external surrounding factors.

Media Freedoms Observatory in Yemen is a monitoring and information platform aimed to disseminate all matters relating to freedom of opinion and expression in various regions of Yemen in a professional and independent manner, including the analysing and advocating for journalists’ issues at the local and international levels.