Self-care is the capacity and empowerment of individuals to sustain their health by becoming knowledgeable with or without the intervention or assistance of the health professionals. In the Philippines, since the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law was passed, an increasing number of public and private organizations have advocated for the development of new policies that would integrate self-care into health literacy initiatives and promote health literacy across the life course. Klaypel, a local company that uses unique art mediums, is set to push for further promotion of self-care in the country through recycled paper made into soft, colorful paper clay.
“Klaypel is a proud partner of Self-Care Project 2030 in the Philippines. Guided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal # 3, which focused on health and well-being, we made self-care a social enterprise, which is composed of programs that aims to help other businesses stay afloat, especially during the pandemic. Now, our initiative has launched various programs that not just help other entrepreneurs, but also individuals who are looking for unique ways of expressing themselves,” shares Dr. Cherry May Rotas-Palacio, RGC, RPm, Ambassador of International Expressive Arts Therapy Association (CWSI – Social Action), and Founder of Self-Care Project 2030.
Klaypel has made art-making more accessible and fun for all inspiring art professionals and artists-at-heart alike by providing a new sustainable way of expressing one’s emotions and self-care that aims to inspire creativity and spark hope one color, one artwork, one story at a time to many Filipinos.
The Self-Care Project 2030
October is World Mental Month. Along with this, the Philippines will be hosting The International Self-Care Summit, which aims to further provide more Filipinos with information that will help them practice and embrace self-care in a holistic way.
“Our partnership with Klaypel gears towards promoting Expressive Arts which is a multi-modal approach composed of two or more kinds of creative facilitation and integrative application of tools of different arts medium. Expressive arts appreciation is like going from the inside out, where creative process and healing intertwined . It is a non-judgmental activity wherein the facilitator is not at the center and interpreting the artwork but the individual is guided through process the art becomes meaningful to the person that leads to self-understanding, growth and healing,” Dr. Rotas-Palacio added.
The Self-Care Project 2030 aims to help people enable their senses more freely by creating art pieces that determine their inner thoughts and desires. By using paper clays, participants can easily touch, feel, and own up to their artworks leading them to appreciate and accept their actions as these are the main cores of the program. This process helps its participants to determine what are the things that they need to let go of and keep.
Self-Care Project 2030 was pioneered with public school teachers, counselors, private and NGO employees and has been running for five years now. Recently, as part of Klaypel Philippines’ initiative and partnership, it expanded to San Benito Farm in Lipa, Batangas.and soon in Yumis Farm in Tayabas, Quezon. The organization is hoing that eventually they can take this program all over the Philippines. Aside from Expressive Arts, Self-Care Project 2030 also teaches organic farming which can create more harmonious and peaceful mindset for its participants.
“Making art and making art as an expression are two different stories. Once you make art as an expression, the story depicts the artist. And maybe the artist also reflects the life of other people. And then at the same time, when you use art as an expression of your feelings and thoughts, you also teach the person to listen to your body, heart and soul,” Dr. Rotas-Palacio expressed.
Empowering People
More than expressing oneself, the Self-Care Project 2030 aims to deliver empowered individuals to help themselves heal from the wounds that they suffer and move forward in life that is free from judgment, biases, and stigma.
“Self-Care Project 2030 also aims to help more people to combat other factors in life that are holding them back. We created programs that offer economic development to empower people while taking good care of themselves. We’re teaching them how to do business activities in a corporate mindset in a simpler way, so when they start their business they can easily grasp the value of social enterprise, helping the community and bayanihan, while sustaining an advocacy of their choice,” said Dr. Rotas-Palacio.
Further, the Project believes in the power of Receiving and Giving. For the organization to move forward, it will make sure that it instills this idea into each participant to create a more meaningful activity for each of them, their communities, and the country. “In Self-Care, there are the two hands of the giving and the receiving. This provides knowledge for the participants to bridge the gaps in life and offer compassion without sacrificing their selves, most especially their well- being,” Dr. Rotas-Palacio concluded.
To learn more about Klaypel, you may visit https://www.klaypelph.com. You can also follow them on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Tiktok.
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